RSS Lakers Team Notes

[Los Angeles Lakers]

BYU Star AJ Dybantsa Happy To Meet Lakers’ LeBron James

As the oldest player in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been fortunate enough to compete against some of the greatest players to ever step foot in the league.

In Year 23, James continues to show that he can hang with the next generation of stars despite losing a step physically. Mentally, LeBron is as sharp as ever and he and the Lakers remain in the thick of a playoff race.

While James and the Lakers look to compete for a championship, there is already plenty of interest in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft as there are several prospects who look the part of franchise pillars. For example, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is considered one of the favorites to go first overall and for good reason as he’s got the size, length, athleticism and scoring ability to be a true No. 1 option on a title team.

Dybantsa got the chance to see James up close at a recent Utah Jazz-Lakers game and the two met on the court for a quick greeting, via BYU Men’s Basketball’s official X account:

game recognizes game

pic.twitter.com/iXrfGscOkU

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) December 19, 2025

Dybantsa offered his own shoutout to James on his personal X account as well:

‘@KingJames

pic.twitter.com/TcX9nc9g8a

— AJ Dybantsa (@AJ_Dybantsa) December 20, 2025

After BYU’s win against ACU, Dybantsa described what it meant to meet James and revealed what he said to him, via TNT Sports:

“He was just saying that he’s been watching from a distance. Obviously I worked out with him like two years ago, so I’ve been in contact with him a little bit. But it’s greatness, so I’m just happy to meet him.”

James has been gracious with his time when it comes to young players like Dybantsa and his acknowledgment should be enough to show that the BYU star could have next. Dybantsa headlines a 2026 draft class that also features Kansas’ Darry Peterson and Duke’s Cam Boozer, and any of the three could wind up going first overall.

Dybantsa fits the mold of a modern NBA offensive player, though his frame and athleticism given him arguably the most upside. Every team craves to build around a player like Dybantsa, so it should be no surprise when teams start to tank down the strech.

LeBron James dodged bullet with knee injury scare against Jazz​

James and the Lakers managed to beat the Jazz, though the star looked like he seriously hurt his knee after taking a shot from Walter Clayton Jr. James was OK after, but admitted he dodged a bullet.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/byu-star-aj-dybantsa-happy-to-meet-lakers-lebron-james-at-jazz-game/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick Calls For Consistency From NBA Officiating & Challenge System

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick can run a little hot when things aren’t going correctly, and that was the case against the L.A. Clippers.

The Lakers lost to the Clippers, 103-88, as they couldn’t make up for the number of injuries to players, including Luka Doncic who was ruled out after the first half due to a leg contusion.

However, Redick and the Lakers also didn’t receive much help from the referees as there were several questionable calls that went against them.

After the loss, Redick sounded off on the officiating and called for the NBA to address the lack of consistency in calls as he has not been receiving feedback when reaching out to the league, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“Overall, the consistency, it’s something I’m gonna talk with them about tomorrow. The consistency needs to be addressed. That needs to be addressed, and it will be. I think any coach, any player, what we ask for is consistency. That’s not to single any official out or any crew out, it’s not about that. We need to know what it is night to night. We’ve had a number, and this is where I get frustrated a little bit and I keep asking the league to please reach out to me and respond to every time I do the coach’s feedback thing, I don’t get any response from the league, nobody ever reaches out to me.

“The way we do challenges and the definitions of challenges and X, Y or Z and why you can or can’t, it’s different with every different crew. We’re supposed to have the guy at the replay center, whoever is in charge that night, we’re supposed to have some level of consistency. And the definitions just get changed every single night.”

There was also a play where Redick tried to challenge on what appeared to be a proximate foul on a ball out of bounds. He was told that he could not challenge that aspect, which he didn’t understand as that type of play has typically been allowed to be challenged:

“Yeah. Josh (Tiven) came to me and said, I don’t want you to waste your challenge, but there’s a chance that it’s two separate plays.’ Which, again, I’ve seen this happen where somebody’s trying to box a guy out, gets fouled, somebody goes over the back and there’s a clear foul, ball gets deflected off the defensive team. I’ve seen that challenged, and I’ve seen that work. So it’s not two separate plays. The ball is part of the play, the ball got loose because of the charge, and then it was deflected. It’s not two separate plays. That’s an insane definition. Insane.”

Redick has every right to be frustrated with the referees as there have been multiple cases recently of calls being missed. The Lakers draw fouls at one of the highest rates in the league, but that shouldn’t penalize them when other teams can’t defend without fouling.

It’ll be interesting to see how the NBA responds to Redick’s request as the Lakers aren’t the only team that should have a gripe with the inconsistency from the officiating crews.

JJ Redick credits Lakers defense​

Redick has seemingly improved at getting his players to shake off rough beginnings to games. For example, the Lakers came out flat against the Jazz but turned things around in the second half to pull off a win.

Redick may demand a lot from his players, but he was happy to give them credit for responding defensively in the second half in Utah.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-new...stency-from-nba-officiating-challenge-system/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: James Harden Doesn’t Think LeBron James’ Scoring Record Will Be Broken

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February of 2023, when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387 total points. That record was previously seen as unbreakable due to Abdul-Jabbar’s longevity, but James has added over two years worth of points since then.

As of Dec. 22, 2025, LeBron sits at 42,406 points, 4,019 points ahead of the next-highest total. That difference alone is two full seasons of averaging 25 points per game. And that was what L.A. Clippers star James Harden focused on after his recent win over the Lakers.

Harden recently passed Carmelo Anthony to become the NBA’s 10th leading scorer all-time. But he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of catching up to or passing LeBron, via Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points:

“Don’t even say LeBron in this conversation,” Harden joked. “LeBron is… Nobody’s — when we talk about that record — nobody’s ever catching that. But just to be back out there, I’m not, I only missed one game, but just to be back out there and giving my teammates an opportunity to help them win the game was important for me. So it wasn’t pretty, but we got to win, so we just got to build momentum off this.”

Harden is currently 10th all-time with 28,359 points. He has been in the NBA for 17 years and was, at one time, one of the league’s most prolific scorers. He averaged over 30 points per game in three consecutive seasons and averaged over 29 points per game in five. Over the course of nine seasons from 2012-21, he averaged 29.3 points per game.

And yet, he is still over 14,000 points away from James. He’s in his 17th season at age 36, and would need to average his current 25.8 points per game — his most in a season since 2019-20 — for another 544 games to catch LeBron’s current total. That’s over 6.5 seasons if he played 82 games every year.

And that’s not even factoring in that James is going to score more points before calling it a career. If Harden, a player with one of the greatest scoring resumes in league history, sits that far away from LeBron, it’s going to be very hard for anyone to pass him up.

Even take James’ teammate in Luka Doncic. He has a 28.9 points per game career average in his eighth season, and has scored 13,594 points. He would need to maintain that average for 82 games per year for over 12 seasons to catch LeBron.

Catching James may simply never happen. But that’s what many thought about Abdul-Jabbar as well.

LeBron James discusses significance of playing Christmas Day​

James is set to play his 20th game on Christmas Day in 23 seasons. So he knows more than anyone what it means to be chosen to play on one of the league’s biggest regular season days and he spoke about that as the Lakers prepare to play the Houston Rockets.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-new...k-lebron-james-scoring-record-will-be-broken/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Report: Deandre Ayton Returns, Austin Reaves Questionable, Luka Doncic & Rui Hachimura Out Vs. Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness) is off it and good to go, while Luka Doncic (lower left leg contusion), Rui Hachimura (right groin soreness) and Gabe Vincent (low back soreness) are out and Austin Reaves (left calf strain) is questionable.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick said after practice on Monday that Doncic, Reaves and Hachimura are all considered to be day-to-day moving forward. Reaves has a chance to suit up in Phoenix, while the other two will miss at least one most game.

Doncic sat out the second half of the Lakers’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night and was clearly hobbled even as he tried to tough out his leg issue in the first half. He finished with just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting along with four turnovers.

Reaves has missed the last three games with his calf issue and the Lakers are sure to be extremely cautious and ensure he is 100 percent healthy before bringing him back. Calf issues have been popping up all over the NBA and has sometimes led to much more serious injuries which the Lakers certainly don’t want to risk with Reaves playing at an All-Star level this season.

Hachimura’s groin issue came a bit out of nowhere, but teams will always be more cautious with soft tissue injuries. Hachimura has been an unsung hero for the Lakers this season and has been far and away the team’s best 3-point shooter. With the team’s major struggles from deep against the Clippers, being without Hachimura will be a challenge in Phoenix.

On the positive side of the injury front, Ayton was a full participant in practice and looks to be good to go against the Suns on Tuesday. The big man missed the Lakers’ last two games and his presence was sorely missed on both ends of the court. Getting him back in the lineup will be a needed boost for this team.

Vincent, on the other hand, has still not returned to practice and will remain out for Tuesday night and would seem unlikely to be able to suit up for the Lakers when they face the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day.

LeBron James: Lakers must be ready for challenge of missing players​

It is still unclear who will be in uniform for the Lakers when they take the floor in the coming days, but they will be getting no sympathy from their opponents as they always get the opposition’s best shot. And LeBron James says everyone must be ready for the challenge of stepping up if key players are out.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-inj...onable-luka-doncic-rui-hachimura-out-vs-suns/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: LeBron James Opens Up About End Of Double-Digit Scoring Streak

LeBron James has amassed a ton of records throughout his historic career, many of which seem unlikely to be broken for a very long time and perhaps ever. One of those records recently came to an end as James’ streak of 1,297 game scoring at least 10 points was snapped during a Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Toronto Raptors.

LeBron finished with just eight points on the night, but the Lakers got the victory as he found Rui Hachimura for the game-winning 3-pointer instead of trying to score and extend his streak.

On the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James reflected on the ending of the streak, noting that he was always aware of his points, but wasn’t going out of his way to keep it going:

“I’m a guy that goes to the bench and I like to look at the stat sheet. I like to look at what I’m shooting from the field, I like to be super efficient. I’d be lying to say that I don’t know how many points I have at any given moment of the game, but I never went into the game during the streak saying ‘OK, I have to get 10 points. I have to keep this streak going.’ It would be a disservice to me and the way I play the game. And it showed in how this streak ended on how I’ve always played the game.”

James shot just 4-of-17 on that night and he admitted that he knew the streak could end as he just couldn’t get in rhythm, which is partly why he passed to Hachimura for the game-winner:

“Yeah, I was clearly aware. You know, I was so not in a rhythm. The one rhythm I know that I will always have is the ability to draw a crowd and put the ball on-time, on-target. I had a couple shots in that game where, literally I had a three on the right wing that would’ve put me up to 11 points that hit all the rim, hit the backboard, came back around the rim again and then came out. I was like, ‘OK, it’s one of those nights. It’s one of those nights.’”

The streak nearly ended the game before, as LeBron finished with just 10 points in a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns and there were other contests in which it almost happened as well. James recalled a game in the 2021 season in which he tried to play through injury and just barely reached the 10-point mark before having to exit:

“I mean, there were some close calls for sure. I had a season in which I believe, I don’t know if it was 2021 or ’22 or maybe ’20, I don’t know coming out of the bubble. I was playing some of the best basketball of my career even at that stage of my career and we were playing Atlanta and my leg got rolled up on. And any time that I’ve sprained my ankle or my leg got rolled up on or whatever I’ve had this routine of like, ‘OK, you feel it, but let’s just tighten the shoes. Let’s tighten the shoes up a little bit tighter and let’s get going.’ And I played a little bit more through it. I was in the left wing, got a pass, hit a three. I think that actually put me up to 10 points. And my leg just started getting really, really hot and I could barely run. Basically long story, short, I think I was out maybe 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain. And that was one of the moments where I was like, yeah, very easily could’ve ended that night for sure. And there was a couple other moments too, but that was definitely one that sticks out in the front of my mind.”

James did wind up missing more than a month after that game against the Hawks, but that just further shows how improbable a streak like this is. A freak injury or ejection at any point could have cut this streak down significantly. And with the longest active streak being more than 1,000 games away, it will be a very long time before anyone could even potentially approach LeBron’s mark.

James Harden doesn’t believe LeBron James’ scoring record will be broken​

Another record in which James is so far ahead of everyone else is the all-time NBA scoring record and James Harden doesn’t believe anybody will break the Lakers’ superstar’s record.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-opens-up-about-end-of-double-digit-scoring-streak/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Lakers Blown Out By Suns To End Road Trip

The Los Angeles Lakers went back on the road for a matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, the third matchup between the Pacific Division rivals in the last few weeks with them splitting the first two.

The Lakers continued to be shorthanded with Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent out of the lineup. They did get Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton back, but that didn’t matter as they were blown out by the Suns, 132-108, to fall to 19-9 on the year.

With two starters out, Jake LaRavis was in the Lakers’ first group and began the game with five straight points. As is usually the case, LeBron James and ` Brooks immediately went right at each other to exchange buckets for their teams.

Reaves came off the bench for the Lakers as he appeared to be on a minutes restriction in his first game back. He immediately drew a foul on a 3-point attempt but was otherwise a little rusty to start and the Lakers trailed 29-26 at the end of the first.

The Lakers were careless with the ball to begin the second quarter and the Suns took advantage to build an eight-point lead. James got to the free throw line a couple of times to cut into the deficit, and then Reaves had a triple and a layup to cut it to four.

L.A.’s defense was nowhere to be found in the second as Phoenix was making everything. On the other hand, the Lakers were missing a ton of free throws and as a result went into the halftime locker room trailing 67-57.

It was a poor start to the third quarter for the Lakers with the Suns ripping off a 10-2 run to extend their lead and force a timeout by JJ Redick. Frustration was clearly mounting for L.A. as LaRavia picked up a technical foul while Phoenix continued to pour it on.

Brooks was hot offensively as he was scoring in a variety of ways to completely blow the game open with the Lakers trailing 112-86 at the end of the third.

Both teams emptied their respective benches early in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. Unfortunately, the Lakers were dealt another blow in the injury department as Jaxson Hayes was ruled out with left ankle soreness.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers will next take the court on Thursday evening when they host the Houston Rockets as part of the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-lakers-blown-out-by-suns-to-end-road-trip/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

LeBron James Diagnoses Lakers’ Defense & Effort Issues

For the second time in the month of December, the Los Angeles Lakers were blown out by the Phoenix Suns. Despite another solid performance from LeBron James, and the return of Austin Reaves, the Lakers’ defense was nowhere to be found as the Suns did whatever they wanted in the 24-point blowout.

The Lakers allowed the Suns to shoot 59% from the field and 41% from 3-point range. Additionally, the Lakers turned the ball over 17 times and gave up 12 offensive rebounds, giving the Suns even more opportunities for easy buckets. And it is those issues which James believes is hurting the Lakers defensively more than anything else, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“It’s the same thing I’ve said before, it has to be five guys on a string. And these guys also made a lot of midrange, contested twos too and those are part of our keys that we’re willing to give up. It’s the fastbreak points, it’s the second-chance points, it’s the open threes that we do not wanna give up. This is a good midrange shooting team. Book hit some, the kid [Jamaree] Bouyea off the bench hit some, Dillon Brooks hit some. They played exceptionally well so you give them kudos to that.”

It has seemed to be a theme this season that the Lakers have struggled with the younger, more athletic teams who play fast such as the Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks. LeBron spoke to this, noting that there have been times they have matched their opponents energy, but not consistently:

“Every team is constructed differently, I would say. Personnel kind of dictates how you can play, how you would like to play, how you would like to execute. I think we’ve had some good times and we’ve had some bad times throughout the season where we’ve matched the energy of a lot of teams that played like this and sometimes we haven’t and it’s resulted in either a win or loss. Quite frankly, sometimes you also play extremely hard like that and still don’t get it done. The other night vs. the Clippers, not saying they play the same way as the Suns, but we went out and played as hard as we could and we still just came up short. Just trying to take the bad, you look at some of the good from each and every game and see how you can get better from it.”

It is no secret that the Lakers are not a team with a ton of athletes. The top two scorers in Luka Doncic and Reaves are more skilled and crafty and James can only reach that athletic level in spurts at this stage of his career. Some of the role players such as Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart aren’t jumping out of the building either.

It doesn’t mean the Lakers can’t be successful, but the margin for error is much more slim, especially if they aren’t playing as hard as they can against these teams. In the end, this team has some obvious holes and they must figure out how to fix them soon.

Marcus Smart: Lakers must fix defensive issues before it’s too late​

Lakers guard Marcus Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year, pulled no punches when discussing the Lakers’ defense, putting the onus on the players themselves and saying they must figure something out before it’s too late.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lebron-james-diagnoses-lakers-defense-effort-issues/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Report: Luka Doncic & Jaxson Hayes Questionable, Rui Hachimura Probable On Christmas Day Vs. Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for their Christmas Day matchup with the Houston Rockets and Luka Doncic (lower left leg contusion) and Jaxson Hayes (left ankle soreness) are questionable while Rui Hachimura (right groin soreness) is probable and Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) remains out.

After missing the team’s blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, Doncic appears ready to return on Christmas Day for the big matchup with the Rockets while reports indicating he will play. He was hit in the leg in the first half against the L.A. Clippers and missed the rest of that game as well, although the injury was not reported to be serious.

The same can be said for Hachimura, who missed the last two games with a groin issue. The Lakers have been shorthanded all year and have been able to manage, but they dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season without Hachimura and Doncic in the lineup.

While the hope is that both will be back against Houston, the Lakers have proceeded with caution when it comes to injuries and that likely will not change here with Doncic and Hachimura if they are not 100%.

Meanwhile, Vincent will miss at least one more game with his back injury while Hayes’ status is up in the air. Hayes tweaked his ankle late in the Lakers’ loss to the Suns and was not able to return.

Considering Houston is one of the biggest teams in the league and excels on the offensive glass, the Lakers will need as many big bodies as possible to help combat that. If Hayes is unable to play then the Lakers would likely turn to Maxi Kleber as the primary backup to Deandre Ayton.

Austin Reaves felt good in return to action for Lakers​

One player the Lakers recently got back in the lineup is Austin Reaves after missing three games with a calf strain. He was on a minutes restriction against the Suns but said he came out of it feeling good and was able to find a rhythm after being rusty to start.

“I was pretty tired the first couple of minutes but after that it felt good… I thought I caught a decent rhythm in the second quarter too, getting to the rim. But it’s gonna take time,” Reaves said after the game.

With Reaves and potentially Doncic and Hachimura back, the Lakers should have enough offensive firepower to make up for their defensive deficiencies.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-inj...chimura-probable-on-christmas-day-vs-rockets/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Rockets’ Amen Thompson Studied LeBron James & Rajon Rondo To Become Better Point Guard

With Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James being in the latter stages of his career, he is used to competing against players who grew up watching him. This is a nod to James’ longevity, playing in his 23rd season and perhaps more on the horizon.

One of those players is Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson, who is already a premier 3-and-D talent in today’s NBA. However, Thompson had to embrace a new role with Fred VanVleet injured, needing to become a point guard.

To better prepare himself for running an offense, the 22-year-old went to the film room and studied James along with fellow former Lakers teammate Rajon Rondo, via Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

“I love watching those type of guys to see how they attack when given the opportunity,” Thompson told Andscape. “I also like how they can command the floor. I’ve been a LeBron, Westbrook and John Wall fan. And then I started watching Rondo and was like, ‘Yo, this man is nice.’

Rondo notably won a championship with L.A. in 2020 and he was a crucial piece due to his ability to structure an offense. He had great chemistry with Anthony Davis and his vision on the floor was second to none, creating easy looks. Thompson grew inspired by his play due to the similarities in their games, seeing how Rondo impacted the game outside of not being a respected shooter:

“I knew he was nice, but I didn’t know he was that nice,” he continued his praise for Rondo, who played in the NBA from 2006 to 2022.

“But I started watching a lot of him because of the way he impacts the game while they are letting him shoot, but he still gets to where he wants and distributes and grabs 20 rebounds at 6-foot-2.”

The Rockets’ rising star 3-point shot is still a work in progress, but he is finding ways to be effective as a ball-handler and slasher to produce for his team.

Thompson is averaging a career-high in assists so far, although it is only his third season in the league. Stepping into that facilitator role is greatly needed for Houston and studying James and Rondo should only benefit him in the long run.

LeBron James congratulates Luka Doncic on birth of daughter​

Luka Doncic missed two games on the Lakers’ recent road trip due to personal reasons and it was later revealed that it was because of the birth of his second daughter.

When Doncic took to social media to announce the news, James and other teammates made sure to congratulate him.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/rockets-am...mes-rajon-rondo-to-become-better-point-guard/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Lakers Crushed By Rockets At Home On Christmas Day

The Los Angeles Lakers returned home and hosted the Houston Rockets as part of the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate.

This was one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the day, and for good reason with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun all suiting up. The Lakers have really been struggling lately though and that continued in this one as they got blown out by the Rockets, 119-96, to suffered their third straight loss.

The Lakers were careless with the ball early with some silly turnovers. The Rockets also did what they do best and that’s attack the offensive glass to jump out to a 9-3 lead before Reaves hit a triple and a layup to settle his team in.

Amen Thompson was attacking the paint with ease to put the Rockets up double digits, forcing JJ Redick to use two early timeouts.

After a slow start for Doncic, he got going offensively towards the end of the first quarter. The same could be for Durant, however, as the Lakers trailed 37-25 after a poor opening frame.

After appearing to hurt his shoulder, Marcus Smart quickly returned for the Lakers and gave the team some energy with his defensive playmaking along with Jarred Vanderbilt to get the deficit back to single digits.

When Doncic returned to the game, he immediately went into attack mode with six straight points for the Lakers. Vanderbilt then hit a rare triple and had a putback to make it a four-point game.

Again though, the Lakers had some careless turnovers leading to a Rockets run to end the half, taking a 63-53 lead into the locker room.

Injuries continued to pile up for the Lakers as Reaves was ruled out at halftime after re-aggravating his calf injury that he just returned from. As has been the case a lot this season, the Lakers came out flat to begin the third quarter with Houston quickly building its lead above 20.

Doncic wasn’t getting many calls and expressed frustration with the officiating, and L.A. went into the fourth quarter facing a 92-74 deficit.

James continued to play with energy despite the big deficit, but Durant and the Rockets kept pouring it on as the Lakers couldn’t get any stops. With the game out of reach, both teams emptied their benches midway through the fourth quarter with L.A. suffering another blowout loss.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers will finish out 2025 at home, hosting the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night and then the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-lakers-crushed-by-rockets-at-home-on-christmas-day/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Video: Luka Doncic Surprises Fans With Shoes & Gift Packages On Christmas Day

After sitting out one game, Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic was back on the court on Christmas Day to take on the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, the Lakers fans didn’t get to witness a victory, but multiple fans in attendance got an extremely special experience thanks to Doncic himself.

In the spirit of Christmas, Luka gifted 25 fans in the 300 section of Crypto.com Arena with a special Luka 5 gift package. The Lakers guard debuted his new signature sneaker from Jordan Brand and there was also a short film released along with the shoe featuring NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski and Luka’s former teammate Boban Marjanovic.

Additionally, Luka would upgrade the seats of an additional 15 fans to a suite that he provided. It is a truly wonderful gesture and once again shows his generosity which has been on full display since joining the Lakers:

Major props to Luka for this.

https://t.co/Xifnfmen7H pic.twitter.com/Acx11NtAMh

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) December 26, 2025

Not long after being acquired by the franchise, Doncic made a massive donation to help with relief from the wildfires that had occurred throughout Southern California. And he recently gifted his teammates as well as Lakers coaches and staff E-bikes for Christmas.

Luka Doncic shared the holiday love by surprising 25 fans in the 300 section with a special Luka 5 gift package and upgrading their seats to a suite

The highly-anticipated Luka 5 will be available starting Jan. 8 at Jordan.com and select retail locations in a “Venom” (black and green) colorway, though Nike’s website also lists a “Viper Edge” (all-green) version as coming soon. Luka’s fifth signature shoe will build off the previous model that was released in March, featuring a full-length Zoom Strobel for extra propulsion and a new ISOband for enhanced control.

Luka Doncic shared the holiday love by surprising 25 fans in the 300 section with a special Luka 5 gift package and upgrading their seats to a suite

Jordan Brand’s Luka 5 marks the first time one of his signature shoes includes full-length Zoom Strobel. The feature provides a responsive platform, and the new ISOband is designed to allow for a push off from the ground at any angle. Meanwhile the, ISOplate, a Doncic shoe signature feature, delivers underfoot stability and lateral support for quick directional changes.

Luka Doncic shared the holiday love by surprising 25 fans in the 300 section with a special Luka 5 gift package and upgrading their seats to a suite

The Luka 5 still includes a low-profile design that keeps your foot close to the court for a claw-like grip. A full-length herringbone traction pattern with HART rubber makes for strong traction.

Luka Doncic explains generosity​

Doncic has always been known for his generosity and after recently gifting E-bikes to his teammates and Lakers staff members, he explained why it is so important to him.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-vid...ns-with-shoes-gift-packages-on-christmas-day/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Update: Austin Reaves (Calf) To Be Re-Evaluated In 4 Weeks

The Los Angeles Lakers announced guard Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain. He will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks.

The Lakers’ Christmas Day game was a rough night on many levels. Not only were they blown out by the Houston Rockets on their home floor, but Reaves had to leave the game after injuring his calf.

Reaves played just 15 minutes before exiting the game, his second contest back after sitting out the previous three with a different calf issue. Reaves underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the issue and, while he seems to have avoided a major injury, he will still need to miss some time with the team announcing he will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

While this certainly could have been worse for Reaves, he and the Lakers must still be extremely careful in his rehab in order to ensure there is not another setback.

Any soft tissue injury is a concern and the timetable on a return can vary, but calf injuries especially have been popping up across the league and can lead to bigger problems. In particular, there have been multiple players who have pushed to return from a calf strain, only to tear their Achilles. Most notably this was the case for Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who did so in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

That is obviously a worst-case scenario for Reaves, and one that he and the Lakers would like to avoid at all costs so there will no doubt be extreme caution exercised, especially now that there has already been multiple injuries. Reaves is far too important to the Lakers’ short and long-term future to risk any major injury.

It is certainly unfortunate for Reaves, who has been in the midst of a career-year, one that has him on the brink of his first All-Star selection. Even with recent contests lowering his numbers slightly, Reaves is still averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from deep. He is also getting to the free throw line more than eight times per game and shooting an excellent 87.3% from the stripe.

The most important thing for Reaves and the Lakers is that he gets completely healthy and is eventually able to return to the court and continue performing at the high level he has been this season.

Luka Doncic offers his support to Lakers teammate Austin Reaves​

Reaves’ Lakers teammate Luka Doncic is no stranger to dealing with a calf strain as he dealt with one last season prior to being traded by the Lakers and the superstar guard offered his support in helping Reaves deal with the injury.

“Yeah, I talked to him. He just said he didn’t know (the severity), he’ll have an MRI I think tomorrow. So just told him if he needs something to help with, I know how it is to go through a calf injury. It’s not fun at all. Just be there to support him. Take your time, calves are dangerous. So take your time,” Doncic said.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-injury-update-austin-reaves-mri-re-evaluated-four-weeks/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Chris Paul Rumors: Lakers Not Expected To Be Landing Spot For Clippers Guard

A common name linked to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency over the years has been veteran guard Chris Paul, who of course was traded to the team in 2011 before the deal got vetoed by the league.

At 40 years-old, Paul announced this season would be his last and with that, he return to the L.A. Clippers as he was a pioneer in turning that franchise around. After failing to win a championship in the Lob City era, the five-time assists champion felt it was right to close out his final season back there.

The Clippers were viewed as a contender in a competitive Western Conference, but their season has been a disaster to this point. So much so that their front office decided to part ways with Paul, the franchise’s greatest player, during a recent road trip.

Despite how sour his exit from the Clippers was, Paul wants to find a new home to continue his final NBA season. While it may make sense to connect the Lakers given their proximity and the recent injury to Austin Reaves, that is reportedly not at the forefront of the front office’s minds right now, via NBA insider Jake Fischer:

Despite the 40-year-old’s frequently cited desire to play as close to his Los Angeles-based family as possible, sources say that the Lakers are not considering Paul as a potential in-season addition despite the many years of Paul-to-the-Lakers speculation that have swirled leaguewide. Remember that our publisher reported on Dec. 14 that the Lakers have generally been very intentional in targeting players under 30 since the offseason when addressing various roster needs … and word Friday night that Austin Reaves will be lost for at least four weeks has created larger problems for the purple and gold anyway.

Even despite the Reaves injury, the Lakers aren’t exactly in need of another ball-handler that presents no answers to their defensive woes. While Paul can still playmake at a considerable level, he is not a viable fit given LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent and Marcus Smart all needing minutes.

As the trade deadline begins to come to the forefront, general manager Rob Pelinka needs to focus on youthful 3-and-D talent because if the Lakers’ defense continues in this direction, there is no chance of contention.

LeBron James comments on Chris Paul departure from Clippers​

One of Paul’s closest friends is James and those two have shared plenty of battles against one another. With James being an outspoken supporter of Paul, he was not willing to speak about the former Clippers guard’s sudden departure from Los Angeles.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/chris-paul...pected-to-be-landing-spot-for-clippers-guard/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Report: Jaxson Hayes Doubtful, Gabe Vincent Out Vs. Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Sunday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings and Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) remains out while Jaxson Hayes (left ankle soreness) is doubtful and Drew Timme (concussion protocol) is questionable.

Austin Reaves (left calf strain) has also been ruled out as he is expected to miss at least the next four weeks with a calf injury.

In Reaves’ absence, both Luka Doncic and LeBron James will need to take on bigger roles as ball-handlers for the Lakers. After those two, Vincent will be next in line, so the Lakers getting him back as soon as possible would be ideal. It just won’t be happening on Sunday against the Kings.

Back injuries can be tricky and Vincent has missed the last four games due to his. The team will be cautious to ensure it doesn’t become a long-term issue, but he will certainly do everything he can to be on the court as quickly as possible.

The same can be said for Hayes, who left the Lakers’ recently loss to the Phoenix Suns early with ankle soreness and then sat out on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets.

With Hayes likely unable to return, Maxi Kleber will continue to get minutes as the team’s backup center behind Deandre Ayton, although JJ Redick could also opt to play smaller lineups at times.

The Lakers are desperately looking to get back on track on Sunday after getting blown out in each of their last three games. With some key players on the injury report, it will take a group effort in order to make that happen.

Luka Doncic offers his support to Lakers teammate Austin Reaves​

Reaves’ Lakers teammate Luka Doncic is no stranger to dealing with a calf strain as he dealt with one last season prior to being traded by the Lakers. After Reaves’ most recent injury, Doncic offered his support in helping his co-star get through it.

“Yeah, I talked to him. He just said he didn’t know (the severity), he’ll have an MRI I think tomorrow. So just told him if he needs something to help with, I know how it is to go through a calf injury. It’s not fun at all. Just be there to support him. Take your time, calves are dangerous. So take your time,” Doncic said.

Reaves is set to be re-evaluated in four weeks and then he and the team will go from there.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-injury-report-jaxson-hayes-doubtful-gabe-vincent-out-vs-kings/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Rui Hachimura Confident Lakers Can Turn Things Around

Dating back to the summer, a popular debate in the Los Angeles Lakers community was if they would keep Rui Hachimura as their fifth starter or if they would get a defensive-minded player like Marcus Smart in there to complement the stars.

However, head coach JJ Redick has opted to start Hachimura when the team has been at or near full strength. While a starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Hachimura and Deandre Ayton sounds great offensively, they have struggled defensively and as a whole in turn.

During this three game losing streak, L.A. has struggled to find any sort of cohesion on defense, which prompted Redick to have an ‘uncomfortable’ practice and brutally honest team meeting.

While no team wants to go through these rough patches, Hachimura acknowledged that their struggles are shared amongst everybody.

“I think it is on all of us,” he said. “Literally even in the meeting we talked about we don’t point at each other. We talk everybody, players, coaches, we have to tighten up. We had a good stretch in the beginning and now we relaxed, we got tired of winning. We just stopped doing what we’re supposed to do, we watched that today. We don’t really watch film like that, but we have to review things we’re supposed to do throughout the season.”

A silver lining to these issues happening now is it is early in the season and the Lakers forward is confident the team can still turn this around.

“Of course, yeah, we’re fine. We just have to kind of reset everything,” Hachimura said. “I think I’ve been in the league seven-eight years, seven years and it’s always happened. It’s not always good to have something like this, but we can’t have it longer that it’s supposed to be. We got to get on a title run again, lots of home games coming, so we have to focus on that. I think we’ve lost these last three home games, right? That’s not acceptable, we have to protect our home.”

The team as whole has to be a lot better, if they hope to compete for a title this season, but Hachimura was reflective about what he personally has to do better to bring back winning.

“I think I just have to bring my energy. I’m not really a vocal guy, as you guys know. I think in the game, there’s times I’m not doing the things that I’m supposed to do. Going in to offensive rebound, getting back on defense, little stuff is going to help the team. So, I think those kinds of stuff, I think I have to focus more on. Bringing the energy, being physical, those kinds of stuff is going to help, I think.”

Offense was never a concern for this Lakers team, but defense was the question mark and so far those suspicions have been proven true. However, now that players know what they need to do individually to become a better unit, perhaps those concerns get smoothed over time.

Rui Hachimura willing to do whatever necessary to help Lakers win​

There is no denying how valuable of a secondary scorer Hachimura is, but he needs to embrace other skills outside of scoring, like rebounding. With a big frame, Hachimura should secure at least five rebounds a game.

Knowing that scoring is not always needed, he admitted that he is willing to do whatever is necessary to help L.A. win games.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/rui-hachimura-confident-lakers-can-turn-things-around/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Lakers Blow Out Kings To End Skid

After three straight blowout losses, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to get back on track on Sunday night when they hosted the Sacramento Kings.

The Lakers remained shorthanded without Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes in the lineup, but there were still able to handle business, cruising to a 125-101 victory to snap their losing streak and improve to 20-10 on the year.

LeBron James was playing with nice energy to start as he had six early points, including an emphatic dunk to give the Lakers an 8-4 lead. The same can be said for DeMar DeRozan, however, as he always enjoys playing back in L.A. and had eight early points to keep up with James.

When James went to the bench, Luka Doncic picked up the slack offensively with a triple and some free throws. It was a strong first quarter for the Lakers as James returned and beat the buzzer with a jumper to give them a 30-24 lead going into the second.

Nick Smith Jr., who is expected to get an extended look in the rotation in the absence of Reaves, showed what he is capable of with five straight points to begin the second.

Everyone was getting involved for the Lakers as Jarred Vanderbilt hit a triple and Jake LaRavia completed a three-point play. Doncic then found James for a reverse dunk to extend the lead to nine.

Despite DeRozan going to work in the midrange, the Lakers were able to keep the Kings at bay offensively in the first half. After a strong close to the second quarter by Doncic, L.A. went into the locker room with a 68-53 lead.

The Lakers picked up where they left off to begin the third quarter as Doncic, James and Rui Hachimura all connected from deep while they remained locked in defensively to grow their lead.

Smith again came off the bench and brought immediate offense for L.A. as he made his first seven shots. After the Kings beat the buzzer with a triple though, the Lakers took a 99-80 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Lakers had no issues closing out the game in the fourth quarter as LaRavia had another three-point play and then Smith hit a 3 to continue growing the lead. James then added a three-point play of his own before both teams emptied their benches for the night.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers will finish out the calendar year with a tough test against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night before beginning 2026 with back-to-back games against the Memphis Grizzlies.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-lakers-blow-out-kings-to-end-skid/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: Nick Smith Jr. Remained Confident, Ready To Make Most Of Opportunity

With the Los Angeles Lakers missing both Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent — the former for at least four weeks — Nick Smith Jr. knew that his number was going to be called. This was made especially obvious after head coach JJ Redick said changes would be coming to the Lakers rotation.

Smith received 24 minutes of game action on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings. He played the sixth-most minutes of any Laker and received the second-most minutes off the bench beside Jake LaRavia’s 25. He more than made the most of those minutes as the guard scored 21 points on 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-10 from deep. He was instrumental in keeping the Lakers afloat during non-Luka Doncic or non-LeBron James minutes, making his first seven shot attempts on the night.

Smith took the opportunity he got and ran with it, and fans are sure to see more of him over the next few weeks. One defining trait of Smith is his confidence, and he spoke about that, saying that it’s required in the NBA in order to thrive.

“Well, in this league, you’ve got to have confidence,” Smith said. “If you don’t, they’re gonna go out there and see it right away. And we’re one of those teams where we’re gonna try with matchups and stuff like that, try to go at matchups we think we can score on every time. I feel like I can hoop with the best of them. I know I’m still young and got a long ways to go in this league, but I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other and keep working.”

Smith received the game ball from Redick for his work on Sunday night and while the ball itself might just go into his mom’s trophy case for him, he reflected on what the sentiment of that moment means for him.

“It means everything,” he said. “Just going home and watching film and making sure I’m ready. It’s a different stage from where I came from, and I understand that. So I just want to make sure I’m ready.

“The game ball? I guess it’s just another thing to go up with my trophies and stuff at my mom’s house. I’m pretty sure she’s going to take it as soon as she sees it, but I’m blessed man. I’m blessed to be here. Just to have the opportunity to play with the Lakers, even be in the league. A lot of guys where I’m from would love to be in this situation, so I’m just blessed.”

However, Smith is keeping his focus squarely on improving and doing what he can to help the Lakers instead of focusing on pride of personal accomplishments.

“Not really. I’m just in a space where I’m just locked in right now. Just trying to do what I can to help this team win and like I said I try to prepare every day like it’s game day, and it showed tonight. Coaching staff got a lot of trust in me to go out there and do what I do, and I haven’t had that in a long time, so it’s definitely been very helpful,” Smith said.

If the Lakers are going to survive a month or more without Reaves, they are going to need contributions from players like Smith. And despite not having significant NBA opportunities since being a first-round pick two years ago, he appears to be more than ready for the task.

Lakers plan to stick with Luka Doncic rotational shift​

Part of the changes that Redick made to the rotation on Sunday night was bringing Smith in for Doncic at the 3-minute mark of the first quarter, a major change. Doncic usually plays the entire first before resting in the second, but Redick went to the bench earlier on Sunday, to great success.

Redick said after the game that he plans to stick with that change.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-new...-confident-ready-to-make-most-of-opportunity/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Report: Rui Hachimura & Gabe Vincent Out, Jaxson Hayes Returns Against Pistons

The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for their Tuesday matchup with the Detroit Pistons and Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness), Austin Reaves (left gastrocnemius strain) and Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) are out while Jaxson Hayes (left ankle soreness) is available to return.

Hachimura missed practice on Monday due to the calf injury and will now miss a game, although head coach JJ Redick made it seem like it was a minor issue that wouldn’t keep him out long.

Vincent has missed the past couple of weeks and hasn’t progressed enough to return, while Hayes’ absence only ended up being two games. Meanwhile, Reaves will be sidelined for at least the next month as he tends to his calf injury.

Los Angeles has unfortunately been unable to keep the same lineups consistently due to various nagging injuries across the roster. The impact has been particularly felt among the stars as all three have not been available often during the 2025-26 season.

Getting Hayes back would be huge for the team as the Lakers can use all the help they can get as they head into the heart of their regular season schedule. Redick has managed the guard rotation by using more of Nick Smith Jr. behind Marcus Smart. Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber has soaked up minutes in Hayes’ place, though he doesn’t offer the same rim running or lob threat ability.

Vincent is a reliable point of attack defender that can knock down an open jumper, while Hayes offers vertical spacing in pick-and-roll situations between himself and Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Those skills would be useful against a Pistons team that currently sits atop the Eastern Conference, although they will have to manage without Vincent and Hachimura.

Detroit is a young, fast and athletic team that can out opponents over the course of a night, so the Lakers will likely need big performances from its stars to carry them to a victory.

LeBron James willing to do whatever’s needed for Lakers​

James was forced to miss the beginning of the 2025-26 season, but since his debut he has started to look more and more like himself. It was understandable to see James struggle with his rhythm and timing early on, but the super star seems to finally be catching his rhythm on both sides of the floor.

James regaining his form comes at a good time now that the Lakers have ruled out Reaves for at least the next month. Reaves carried a heavy burden, but James said he is willing to do whatever the team needs in his absence.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-inj...ent-out-jaxson-hayes-returns-against-pistons/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: Luka Doncic Looking To Get Teammates Involved At Start Of Games

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has typically set the tone at the start of games as he is leading the league in first-quarter scoring by a wide margin at 12.0 points per game.

With the team on a three-game losing streak though, Doncic shifted his mentality on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, only taking six shots while dishing out three assists in the first quarter.

That helped get the Lakers back on track as they were locked in from the jump and cruised to an easy win.

After the victory, Doncic discussed what he was trying to do differently in the first quarter.

“Just trying to get everybody involved a little more than I used to. So everybody got some shots up today,” Doncic said. “So I just think when we play, when we share the ball, when we move the ball, it’s great for us.”

The Lakers offense is definitely at its best when everyone is moving the ball to get open looks for their teammates. Doncic deserves credit for recognizing that as he could easily continue looking for his own shot in first quarters considering he is the leading scorer in the league.

Overall in the game, Doncic finished with 34 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes. Perhaps the biggest difference for the Lakers overall was the energy they played with, which Luka believes starts with himself and LeBron James.

JJ Redick explains Luka Doncic rotation shift​

Not only did Doncic’s mentality change in the first quarter, but so did his rotations. The superstar has usually played the entire first quarter, but JJ Redick switched that up and took him out around the three-minute mark. After the game, the head coach explained why he did that and if it will continue.

“I think it, particularly with [Austin Reaves] out, just gives more time for those guys to be the quarterback without the other one. Having said that, we ran a lot of stuff for them to be in two-man action, for them to be part of the play together tonight. So, it’s not like we’re trying to like, keep them apart, it’s just the nature of what we’re trying to do,” Redick said.

“And we’re going to do this for the foreseeable future and just see how it goes. But I thought it was good tonight and it’s a longer stretch for LeBron, it’s a shorter stretch for Luka, but it’s not going to diminish either of their overall playing time.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-new...-to-get-teammates-involved-at-start-of-games/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Lakers Close Out 2025 With Blowout Loss To Pistons

Looking to build off their win over the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the calendar year by hosting the Detroit Pistons, the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons are the exact type of young and athletic team that the Lakers have struggled with, and that continued in this one as L.A. suffered a 128-106 loss to drop to 20-11.

LeBron James was celebrating his 41st birthday and did so by kicking off the game with two assists to Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia, who started in place of the injured Rui Hachimura. James then finished a reverse layup in transition to give the Lakers an early lead.

Marcus Smart took an elbow to the face but was called for a foul, leading to him picking up a technical for arguing with the officials. From there though, Luka Doncic got going offensively with a three-point play and a triple.

Cade Cunningham also got off to a strong start, controlling the offense for Detroit, who led 36-30 at the end of the first.

Cunningham had back-to-back buckets to begin the second with the Pistons taking a double-digit lead for the first time. The Lakers were in a long offensive drought, which James ended with a triple.

Detroit was pounding the L.A. inside as they had no resistance defensively in the paint. LaRavia took a big elbow to the face though as Jalen Duran was called for a Flagrant 1 on his drive. The Lakers forward was able to stay in the game and make both free throws despite the shot to the head.

The Lakers continued to struggle defensively to end the half, but James and Doncic were able to keep up on the other end to head into the locker room with a 70-65 deficit.

L.A. has typically struggled against athletic teams to begin third quarters, but they came out strong in this one and tied the game after a three-point play by Doncic.

Doncic was later called for a technical foul for flailing his arms, even though there was a foul called on the Pistons on the play. That gave Detroit some momentum as they closed the third quarter strong to take a 96-88 lead into the fourth.

The Lakers had a couple silly turnovers early in the fourth as the Pistons took a double-digit lead once again.

Offensively, L.A. couldn’t get anything going as Detroit ramped up the ball pressure. The Lakers continued turning it over as their deficit grew larger and larger to the point where it was too much to overcome.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers will stay at home to kick off 2026, hosting the Memphis Grizzles in back-to-back games on Friday and Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-lakers-close-out-2025-with-blowout-loss-to-pistons/