News Lakers Team Notes

[Los Angeles Lakers]

2008 USA Olympic Team, Carmelo Anthony & Dwight Howard Included In Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame Class Of 2025

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2025, which features nine inductees who will be celebrated during the festivities from Sept. 5-6.

The announcement took place in San Antonio, host city of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four and was broadcast live on ESPN2.

The North American Committee includes: 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Men’s Basketball Team, Carmelo Anthony, Danny Crawford, Billy Donovan and Dwight Howard.

The Women’s Committee includes: Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowler and Maya Moore.

The Contributor’s Committee includes: Micky Arison.

“The Hall of Fame is thrilled to celebrate the Class of 2025, a group that has left a profound mark on the sport at every level,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “This year’s class embodies excellence, innovation, and an enduring passion for basketball—whether through game-changing performances, leadership on the sidelines, or shaping the sport’s global reach. We look forward to honoring this Class and their lasting contributions to the game.”

This year’s group features a few members with ties to the Los Angeles Lakers, namely Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard. While Anthony and Howard didn’t join the Lakers until later in their careers, they’re still fondly remembered for their stints with the purple and gold.

Howard was in Los Angeles for three separate occasions, capturing his first and only title with the franchise in 2020. Meanwhile, Anthony spent his final season in the league with the Lakers, though the team failed to make the playoffs.

Anthony and Howard were also members of the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympics Team, dubbed the “Redeem Team” as they sought to avenge their bronze medal finish in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Aside from Anthony and Howard, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant headlined the star-studded squad that ended up capturing the gold in Beijing.

James is a shoo-in to qualify for the Hall of Fame once he officially retires, while Bryant was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the 2020 Class that featured Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.

Bird, Fowler and Moore are considered three of the best WNBA players ever and their inclusion in this year’s class is well-deserved.

Lastly, Arison has overseen three championships with the Miami Heat who have a reputation for their culture and stability as a franchise.

LeBron James congratulates Carmelo Anthony on Hall of Fame election​

Carmelo Anthony’s induction into the Hall of Fame was a no-brainer considering all he’s accomplished and LeBron James congratulated his friend on the honor.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/2008-usa-o...ismith-basketball-hall-of-fame-class-of-2025/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Luka Doncic & Lakers Crush Thunder From Start To Finish On Road

Desperate for wins as the regular season winds down, the Los Angeles Lakers faced a tough road test on Sunday afternoon as they traveled to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the West, and the Lakers certainly played like the more desperate team as they cruised to a 126-99 victory in what was a statement win.

It was the centers that kicked off the scoring in this one with Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaxson Hayes getting the initial buckets for their teams. Then, the superstars got involved with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic making their first shots.

Doncic had two early triples and then after Dorian Finney-Smith got in on the action, the Lakers took a 19-15 lead.

It was all Doncic in the first quarter with 14 points. After a pair of triples by Gabe Vincent and a layup by LeBron James to end it, L.A. took a 42-32 lead into the second.

The Lakers continued to pour it on with seven straight points to begin the second quarter. Austin Reaves began to heat up with back-to-back triples and then James hit one, extending the lead to 20.

Oklahoma City had a response from there with seven straight points, forcing a quick Lakers timeout. L.A. regained control out of the timeout, however, with Finney-Smith and Doncic burying back-to-back 3s.

Doncic was doing whatever he wanted offensively, beating the Thunder off the dribble and creating open looks for his teammates. After leading by as many as 29, the Lakers let go of the rope a bit but still took a 78-56 lead into the halftime locker room. The 78 points were a season-high for the Lakers in a half with them shooting 15-of-22 from deep as a team.

The Lakers came out a bit sloppy to begin the third quarter, but the Thunder couldn’t really capitalize. Reaves helped get his team back on track with a triple though and then Doncic continued his dominant performance.

L.A.’s hot shooting didn’t slow down with Finney-Smith and Vincent each hitting corner 3s. James hit a fadeaway midrange to end the third and the Lakers were cruising with a 103-77 lead.

The Thunder began the final quarter with a 6-2 spurt, which forced a quick timeout by the Lakers to keep things under control. That served its purpose as James responded with a steal and a dunk and then Hachimura hit another triple to effectively put the game out of reach.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers have a difficult schedule to close out the regular season and that continues with another matchup against the Thunder on Tuesday before Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas for the first time to play the Mavericks on Wednesday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-luka-doncic-lakers-crush-thunder-from-start-to-finish-on-road/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Dorian Finney-Smith Believes Lakers Are Tough To Beat When He & Gabe Vincent Are Making Shots

While most of the attention goes toward the star players on a team, it is often the role players that make the difference in a team’s success. The Los Angeles Lakers obviously have great star power with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, but when they get support from the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent, they become an entirely different team.

That was the case on Sunday as both Finney-Smith and Vincent knocked down four 3-pointers in the Lakers’ 27-point win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers as a whole were on fire from deep, but getting 26 combined points from those two off the bench really took things over the top.

Finney-Smith spoke about this after the game as well, saying that when he and Vincent are knocking down triples, the Lakers are hard to beat, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“It’s just make or miss… It was a great team win. It’s hard to beat us when me and Gabe are making shots.”

The Lakers brought in Vincent and Finney-Smith for games like this. Both are veterans with a ton of playoff experience who won’t shrink under the bright lights and they have proven as much not only with their shooting, but also what they bring defensively.

Against the Thunder, the Lakers jumped out early and never let up, which was impressive considering the Lakers have had a tendency to blow big leads at times. But Finney-Smith felt the Lakers simply did a great job at executing their game plan:

“We just executed the game plan and kept them off the free throw line. Attention to detail on the defensive end was there, and us just making shots. I think that was just the energy from our defense carrying over.”

The importance of Finney-Smith and Vincent was never more apparent than this past week. The two were also on fire in the Lakers’ win over the Houston Rockets, but were ice cold in their loss to the Golden State Warriors. But the Lakers are banking on them coming through more often than not and if that is the case, a long playoff run is in store for this team.

LeBron James: Lakers trying to build great habits going into playoffs​

Obviously a dominant performance over the best team in the West is excellent for the Lakers. But more important, at least in the eyes of LeBron James, is building the right habits as the postseason approaches.

James noted that sometimes a team can play a great game and still lose and other times you can not play great, but still pick up a win. But it is all about habits and LeBron wants the Lakers to continue to build good habits going into the playoffs.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/dorian-fin...o-beat-when-he-gabe-vincent-are-making-shots/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Report Vs. Thunder: Rui Hachimura Out, Other Key Players Questionable

The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy) has been ruled out. Additionally, Luka Doncic (right groin strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle effusion), LeBron James (left groin strain), Bronny James Jr. (illness), Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) are all listed as questionable.

Coming off their biggest win of the season in Oklahoma City against the Thunder on Sunday, it appears the Lakers could rest all of their key players in the rematch on Tuesday.

Because some results around the league went their way on Sunday, the Lakers only need to win two of their final four games to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Tuesday’s game is the first night of a back-to-back before the Lakers head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks on Wednesday.

It seems the Lakers will likely sit guys out against the Thunder in order to have their full roster ready to go against the Mavericks, which not only is an easier matchup on paper, but also Doncic’s first time back in Dallas and a game he will surely be motivated to win.

With the Lakers beating the Thunder in such dominant fashion on Sunday, sitting guys in the rematch and not allowing them to prove they can compete with the new-look version of L.A. ensures a bit of a psychological edge over the young Oklahoma City team if they were to see them in the playoffs.

The hope, of course, is that none of these injuries are serious. But for Doncic, in particular, there’s no doubt he will do everything in his power to be back on the court in Dallas to take on his former team if he does sit out Tuesday’s game in Oklahoma City.

If all of these questionable players sit out against the Thunder though, then the Lakers would be left with the likes of Jaxson Hayes, Dalton Knecht, Jordan Goodwin, Jarred Vanderbilt, Shake Milton, Markieff Morris, Christian Koloko, Trey Jemison and Alex Len against the best team in the league.

Austin Reaves pleased with Lakers’ play in win over Thunder​

Sunday’s win was not only a big one, but pretty surprising as the Lakers dominated the Thunder from start to finish on their home floor. After the game, Austin Reaves spoked about how pleased he was with how the Lakers competed.

“Yeah, it’s huge. They got the best record in basketball I believe and with where the standings are, you can go from third to I believe eighth in the snap of a finger. So for us to come in here and play such a good team the way we did tonight is big and hopefully we can continue that momentum into Tuesday.”

Unfortunately, it looks like Reaves and others may not be on the court on Tuesday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-inj...hachimura-out-other-key-players-questionable/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Regulars Available For Rematch Against Thunder In First Night Of Back-To-Back

Coming off their biggest win of the season on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers are back in action on Tuesday night against the same team at Paycom Center.

It was originally unclear who would be suiting up for the Lakers as Luka Doncic (right groin strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle effusion), LeBron James (left groin strain), Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) were all listed as questionable.

That’s in addition to Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), Bronny James Jr. (illness) and Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery) being ruled out.

There was some thought about the Lakers potentially punting this game considering it is the first night of a back-to-back before taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

The Lakers only need to win two of their final four games to clinch the third seed in the West and considering the Mavericks are an easier opponent on paper and it also marks Doncic’s return to Dallas for the first time, the thought was that key guys would sit out the second game against the Thunder in order to be ready for the Mavericks.

The other aspect of punting the Oklahoma City game is it would give L.A. a psychological edge heading into the postseason over the No. 1 seed.

It appears that is not the route the Lakers are going, however, as Doncic, Finney-Smith, James, Reaves and Vincent were all upgraded to probable and now are expected to play. It remains to be seen what that means for the Mavericks game, but the Lakers are clearly going for it and looking to beat the Thunder two games in a row on their home court with Oklahoma City again having all of its players available.

If the Lakers win this game, they are not only one step closer to getting the 3-seed, but they will also clinch a playoff berth and avoid the Play-In Tournament for the first time in the last three years.

There certainly is a lot at stake here, making for another very intriguing regular season game between the Lakers and Thunder with only a few left to go before the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers (48-30) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14)​

5:00 p.m. PT, April 8, 2025
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA

Projected Lakers starting lineup:

PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes

Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Jordan Goodwin, Jarred Vanderbilt

Projected Thunder starting lineup:

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Lu Dort
SF: Jalen Williams
PF: Chet Holmgren
C: Isaiah Hartenstein

Key Reserves: Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-reg...ainst-thunder-in-first-night-of-back-to-back/