RSS Lakers Team Notes

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Highlights: Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves Score 31 Each In Win Over Timberwolves

The schedule to close the 2025-26 season is a tough one for the Los Angeles Lakers as they face off against several playoff teams. The Lakers earned a hard-fought victory against the New York Knicks on Sunday but didn’t get much time to rest as they hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Los Angeles and Minnesota entered the matchup separated by just one game in the standings, though the former owns the regular season tiebreaker. With how close the Western Conference standings are, the Lakers could ill afford to drop a game to the Timberwolves who were clinging on to the third seed.

The first quarter was an offensive drought as both teams struggled to shoot the basketball. Fortunately, Los Angeles was able to catch a rhythm in the second quarter and went into the locker rooms at halftime tied 45-45.

The third quarter was a completely different story as the Laker offense finally erupted, scoring 39 points and building a large lead that they managed to hold on to in the fourth. Los Angeles won the game and picked up another quality win against a postseason-bound squad in Minnesota. This marks the third consecutive win for the Lakers and six of their last seven games.

Luka Doncic was one of the players that couldn’t get anything to fall down in the first quarter, but he eventually got himself back on track with a couple of shots at the rim. When Doncic wasn’t scoring, he was contributing on both ends of the floor and that helped Los Angeles extend its lead.

Doncic found it much easier to score in the second half as he had his jumper going, though he did have to fight through some pain as he bumped knees with players multiple times. Overall, Doncic remained productive against an elite defensive team as he recorded a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Austin Reaves appeared to be heading for a rough game as he only managed to score two points in the first half, but he erupted in the second half. Reaves seemingly couldn’t miss in the second half, torching the Timberwolves from each level of the floor. Reaves had everything working for him as he even converted on a pair of four-point plays that kept Minnesota at bay.

Reaves almost recorded his own triple-double as he had 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

The Lakers were shorthanded in the frontcourt, which meant that Deandre Ayton had to step up, and that’s exactly what he did. The big man had a double-double in the first half alone and wound up finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

What’s next for the Lakers​

The Lakers will look to keep their winning streak going when they host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. They’ll then see the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-hig...eaves-score-31-each-in-win-over-timberwolves/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Luka Doncic Encouraged By Lakers’ Defense After Win Over Timberwolves

There have been major questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ ability to play championship-level defense with a team built around offensive-focused stars in Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James. But recently, the Lakers are showing that they are capable of defending at a high level, even against top offenses.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were the second straight top 10 scoring team the Lakers held well below their average in their 120-106 victory. The Lakers held the Timberwolves to just 68 points through three quarters and shut them down from deep as Minnesota shot just 25% from 3-point range.

Afterwards, Doncic was very happy with the Lakers’ effort defensively, praising Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton in particular, but feeling that the team as a whole was excellent on that end of the court.

“It was very encouraging and very special to play this game,” Luka said. “I think everybody that stepped on the court did an amazing job. Everybody fought til the end and that’s how we got this win… I think [the Lakers’ energy & effort] was collective. Obviously Smart is our leader in that and did a great job. I think DA today was amazing for us. Outside of that I think we collectively did it all. And obviously they push us too and I think we did an amazing job today.”

Perhaps most impressive was the job the Lakers did on Anthony Edwards, the NBA’s second-leading scorer who shot just 2-of-15 from the field, finishing with only 14 points, less than half of his season average. Luka again mentioned Smart, but also reminded that it takes a team effort to corral someone like Edwards

“A lot,” Doncic responded when asked what it takes to contain Edwards. “Obviously it starts with Smart he was starting on him, but for guys like that you need the whole team to stop him it’s not just one guy, so I think we did a great job. Like I said obviously it started with Smart, but a lot of times it’s tough to stop players like that and we did a great job today.”

It wasn’t just on this night, but the past couple of weeks overall that the Lakers have reached another level on defense and an important reason for this in the eyes of Doncic is the improved communication.

“Probably just effort and communication,” he added. “I think communication is very important on the defensive end. I think we’re talking to each other a lot so that helps everybody to get to their spots on the defensive end.”

With Doncic, Reaves and James, the Lakers will be able to keep up with most teams offensively, but it is their ability to get stops that will determine how far they can go in the playoffs. If they can continue to defend at this level, the Lakers could go much further than people expect.

Lakers coach JJ Redick praises Deandre Ayton for performance vs. Timberwolves​

Another big reason for the Lakers’ victory and improvement defensively has been the play of center Deandre Ayton and head coach JJ Redick praised him for his ‘fantastic’ performance against the Timberwolves.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/luka-doncic-encouraged-by-lakers-defense-after-win-over-timberwolves/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: Bam Adebayo Discusses What Kobe Bryant Would Say To Him After Scoring 83 Points

Over 20 years ago, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had the basketball world glued to the team’s game against the Toronto Raptors. In a normal regular season game, Bryant had everyone’s eyes on him as he made history by scoring 81 points in the win against the Raptors.

Los Angeles found themselves trailing at halftime, but Bryant erupted in the second half and walked away with the second-highest scoring game in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points. For decades, Bryant’s 81-point game stood as the highest scoring total in the modern era, but that finally was broken after Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo dropped 83 points in a win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Adebayo has improved offensively every year since entering the league, but no one could have predicted he would be the one to surpass Bryant. Some might point to the fact that the Washington Wizards had no desire to win the game as they look to secure a high draft pick, but it’s still an impressive feat for Adebayo to score 83 points in regulation.

Following his historic accomplishment, Adebayo discussed what it means for him to surpass Bryant’s 81 points, via Naveen Ganglani of Five Reasons Sports:

“To me it’s wondering what he’d say. Seeing somebody…obviously you’ve seen 60, 70 but like to be 83 & you pass him, my mind is like, ‘What would he say to me?’ Cause I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him. He’ll probably say, ‘Do it again.’ But just a surreal moment being in the company with somebody you idolized growing up.”

Like a lot of other NBA superstars across the league, including Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker who stills misses Bryant, Adebayo grew up watching Kobe lead the Lakers to several championships. Bryant set the standard for competitiveness and coupled it with a relentless aggression that made him a legend for the next generation of players.

The way that the game is played today, it’s only a matter of time before someone ends up surpassing Adebayo. Bryant surely would have appreciated Adebayo’s performance and it’ll be interesting to see who etches their name in history next.

Michael Jordan weighs in on comparisons to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant​

Kobe Bryant is most often compared to Michael Jordan because of their competitive drive and similar play styles. When it comes to the GOAT debate, it often comes down to LeBron James and Jordan with Bryant often being mentioned as well.

However, Jordan weighed in on the GOAT debate and said it’s a meaningless conversation for him because he didn’t get a chance to play against all the greats in his prime.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-new...-means-to-surpass-kobe-bryants-81-point-game/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

JJ Redick Encouraged By Lakers’ Recent Defensive Improvement

With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James leading the way, the Los Angeles Lakers offense is always going to be capable of hanging with any team in the league. The bigger question that would decide whether this team could contend for a championship was if the defense could hold up.

For much of the season, that has tended to not be the case, particularly against top competition and the Lakers have suffered a number of rough losses because of it. But recently that has begun to turn around and they are now coming off back-to-back strong performances against two of the best offenses in the NBA in the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers held the Knicks under 100 points and nearly did the same to the Timberwolves if not for letting up in the fourth quarter with the end result well in hand. Head coach JJ Redick spoke on his team’s defense as of late, saying the Lakers have been improving for some time now while being very encouraged by their last two performances.

“I’m encouraged by the defense, particularly,” Redick said after the win over Minnesota. “We’ve been trending in that direction now for 25 games to be above-average. I mean, … we’re not going to be the number one defense in the league. But to be, you know, above average, and to do – have those two performances against those two teams back to back, is really encouraging.”

With an offense that can be as good as the Lakers unit is capable of, they don’t need to be the best defense in the league, just be above average as Redick noted they have been lately. The Lakers held the Knicks to 43% shooting and 24% from 3-point range while holding All-Star Jalen Brunson to just 8-of-19 shooting from the field. They then held the Timberwolves to 46% shooting and 25% from deep while Anthony Edwards shot just 2-of-15.

Marcus Smart has been praised as the tone setter on that end while the likes of Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt provide a spark, not to mention Deandre Ayton, when locked in, has been a great deterrent at the rim. But the energy they bring also motivates the stars with Doncic and Reaves giving great effort and sacrificing their bodies on the defense end as well.

Redick has this team on the upswing and they are starting to play their best basketball of the year at the right time.

JJ Redick explains why Lakers have had more success without LeBron James​

One thing that has been noticeable is how good the Lakers have played despite LeBron James being out due to injury and JJ Redick broke down why he believes that has been the case.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/jj-redick-encouraged-by-lakers-recent-defensive-improvement/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

This Day In Lakers History: Chick Hearn Calls 2,500th Consecutive Game

When taking a glance at the outstanding history of the Los Angeles Lakers, some names have withstood the test of time and made impacts on countless generations. Examples include both Magic Johnson’s and Jerry West’s roles as players and members of the front office.

However, the diehard Lakers fans may have one voice that stands out above the rest. For over four decades, Chick Hearn captivated hearts and had spectators on the edge of their seats. Hearn’s career as the play-by-play announcer began before the team even moved to Los Angeles, as he came along with the Minneapolis Lakers.

From there, it became a match made in heaven, as both The Forum and Staples Center welcomed him with open arms. Not only that, Hearn would be featured all around the NBA, including calling the NBA Finals.

On March 13, 1992, Hearn called his 2,500th consecutive broadcast. The Lakers were on the road, traveling to the Richfield Coliseum to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although they would lose, 109-107, the night belonged to Hearn.

His impressive streak dated back all the way to the 1965 season, summarizing the consistency that Hearn brought. He stretched it out to 3,338 consecutive games called, with it ending when Hearn required open heart surgery during the 2001-02 season.

However, he would return to call the final five regular season games and all 19 playoff games as the Lakers went on to win the 2002 NBA championship.

The three-time National Sportscaster of the Year introduced many common sayings — or ‘Chickisms’ — to the game of basketball, including “slam dunk,” “air ball,” “no-look pass,” “brick,” and “finger roll.”

He was also well known for the series of quick-witted punchlines he would deliver anytime the Lakers would seal a victory, involving a refrigerator, eggs and Jello.

Hearn’s broadcasting journey began in Manila, where was stationed after World War II. He delivered play-by-play for a touring basketball team on the Armed Forces Network. From there, it would skyrocket to calling the most historic franchise in NBA history.

Chick Hearn continues to impact Lakers fans​

Although Hearn passed away in 2002, basketball fans all around the world carry with them the wisdom that he imparted. Professional athletes and sports fans alike in the Los Angeles have been spoiled when it comes to legendary broadcasters.

Whether it was Vin Scully for the Dodgers, Bob Miller for the Kings, or Hearn with the Lakers, those listening in around the world got a glimpse into brilliant play-by-play announcing.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/this-day-lakers-history-chick-hearn-calls-2500th-conescutive-game/