Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

There's no way around it. The Lakers are considered huge long shots to win this series against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. That might still be understating the perceived odds LA is battling. You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody not wearing a Lakers uni even remotely talking up the chance of an upset. And that even includes Lakers fans, many of whom the Kamenetzky Brothers have heard talk about this series as a pointless exercise in impending failure, with a fatalistic mindset that reduces the next 4-7 games into a borderline waste of time.

As the K Bros explain, Lakers fans can and should "fan" however they want, but that's the very wrong way of viewing this series, along with the entire reason teams compete in the first place.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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The Lakers made it through Round 1 without Luka Dončić and for 2/3 of the series, without Austin Reaves. 

Against OKC in Round 2, they'll have Austin back, but Luka is nowhere near ready to play, still without a timetable and not doing anything approaching true on court work at speed. And given how fast this series will move -- it's an every other day affair -- there's a very good chance Luka won't be available for any of it. Even if it goes longer than anyone expects. That's how the Lakers are likely approaching things. Plus, they do need to be careful about rushing Luka back for a series that is potentially too far gone, and putting a full, robust offseason in jeopardy. Because the last thing the Lakers want is for this injury to linger. 

Meanwhile, the pressure will be on Austin Reaves to step up. The challenge is significant, and Reaves's splits this season against the Thunder are bad. But with a huge free agent summer coming, this is an important step for Reaves, to perform against an elite defense. Because this is the type of quality championship caliber players will face in the postseason. And at an expected $35-40 million, that's the expectation. 

Finally, this will be a series where, between Reaves and SGA, the whole "foul merchant" thing will be top of mind. How fair is the label for either guy? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Luka likely out for the second round? 

SEGMENT 2: Pressure on Reaves. 

SEGMENT 3: Foul merchants! 

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The Lakers were disappointed by the results of Game 5 at home Wednesday night, and knew moving back to Houston they'd need a much better Game 6 to eliminate the Rockets. 

And that's what they got. 

The Lakers used a good-enough offense, with low turnovers (10) and good 3-point shooting (12-28, 43%) in combination with an excellent defense -- the Rockets shot 35% from the floor and weren't a force on the offensive glass (despite a LOT of opportunities). LeBron James led the way with 28 points, on 10-25 shooting. Rui Hachimura was massive, with 21 points, fueled by 5-7 shooting from downtown. Austin Reaves finished with 15, but was integral in the third quarter (eight points) and overall was very effective getting into the paint. Seven early points from Jake LaRavia was a nice boost, too. 

Oh, 16 rebounds and stellar D from Deandre Ayton. 

Overall, the Lakers changed some small things. They pushed harder on misses, especially in the first half, to find easier buckets or at the least force Houston to scramble a little defensively. They sent fewer doubles at Alperin Sengun. They found ways into the paint. They cleaned up the TOs. 

All in all, a great end to a fantastic series for the Lakers. Even against a Rockets team missing Kevin Durant, to advance in six games when Luka Dončić didn't play, and Austin Reaves didn't appear until Game 5. 

Lakers fans have plenty of reasons to be proud, even with an incredibly difficult challenge coming against Oklahoma City. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

5-Hour ENERGY

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HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Can LeBron go LeBron for Game 6?

SEGMENT 2: Can Austin Reaves be a star on Friday?

SEGMENT 3: Amen Thompson is making life hard for Luke Kennard.

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Generally speaking, in the NBA Playoffs if your stars aren't stars, you're not going to win. 

Now, sometimes they're stars and you lose anyway. But rarely do they falter and the team still advances. So that's the position the Lakers are in LeBron James was pretty good (but not spectacular) and had a couple key turnovers. Austin Reaves did some good stuff, leading the team in assists and making 12 of 13 free throws. But he also missed 12 of his 16 field goal attempts. 

That's not good enough. 

So can the Lakers stars elevate against an excellent Houston defense? 

How good exactly do they need to be? 

Meanwhile, what can the Lakers do to get someone like Luke Kennard going? 

Because the Lakers need to take and make some more shots from distance. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 2: Can Austin Reaves be a star on Friday? 

SEGMENT 3: Amen Thompson is making life hard for Luke Kennard. 

5-Hour ENERGY

KALSHI

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From tipoff to overtime, stay in your bag and order on DoorDash.
Get snacks, drinks, gear — whatever gets you through the season — delivered right to your door.
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Game 5 was not a good one for the Lakers, especially offensively. 

And while Austin Reaves did score 22 points, most of it came from the free throw line. His ineffectiveness from the field (4-16 shooting) was a drag on the performance of the offense as a while. It's easy to understand why - parachuting into a series after a long layoff isn't easy - but the circumstances don't necessarily matter. The Lakers need Reaves to be better going forward. 

The good news is while the output for A.R. and the team wasn't terribly impressive, there were very positive signs about what Reaves can do for the Lakers in Game 6 and (if needed) Game 7. The Lakers found themselves in the paint more. They got to the line more. Reaves was far more capable of creating his own shot against Houston's defense, finding ways to penetrate and create opportunities for others as well. 

Meanwhile, he didn't hurt them on the other end. 

So the foundation is there. The importance of his skill set is clear. But he, and the Lakers, need more shots to go down.  ?

Can he do it?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

5-Hour ENERGY

KALSHI

DoorDash
From tipoff to overtime, stay in your bag and order on DoorDash.
Get snacks, drinks, gear — whatever gets you through the season — delivered right to your door.
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Gametime

FanDuel

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The Lakers came home for Game 5 Friday badly wanting to put their series against the Houston Rockets, and in the first quarter at least looked like they might get it done. 

But in the second... and for the rest of the game... the Lakers basically fell into the same patterns that defined the second half of Game 3, and all of Game 4. Momentum killing turnovers, a total lack of shotmaking, particularly from 3-point range. LeBron James found the range late, but it took a while to get there, and Austin Reaves was cold from everywhere but the free throw line after a reasonably quick start. And Luke Kennard disappeared entirely. After a strong opening games, Kennard has been a total non-factor. Marcus Smart hasn't been much better, particularly when it comes to turnovers. 

In short, the Lakers need to reset, and find the confidence that pushed them through the first three games. The next chance they'll have to do so is Friday in Houston. 

It's a big mental challenge, because the momentum in the series has swung entirely away from them, and the Rockets home crowd will be absolutely bonkers. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: After a hot start, the Lakers go cold. 

SEGMENT 2: Not enough support. 

5-Hour ENERGY

KALSHI

DoorDash
From tipoff to overtime, stay in your bag and order on DoorDash.
Get snacks, drinks, gear — whatever gets you through the season — delivered right to your door.
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Indeed

Gametime

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HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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Houston has a long way to go, but they're still in it at least. 

The Lakers would like to fix that on Wednesday. They want to take no chances, and not even entertain a situation where they could become the first team to lose a 3-0 lead in a playoff series. There's a good chance they throw everything they have at the Rockets, including Austin Reaves who is expected to return to the lineup after injuring his oblique. 

The Lakers can definitely use what Reaves provides from a skill set standpoint. But will he be too rusty to make an impact? Can Houston defend him as aggressively as they have other players, and still leave themselves able to cover those who need it? 

There's a lot going on in Game 5, including LA's attempts to tamp down Houston's offense, which will be without Kevin Durant. Alperin Sengun has had his way in the last couple of games, and overall using him as a fulcrum has really helped the Rockets get some rhythm. 

Time for the Lakers to adjust, but what else does JJ have in the bag? 

All that plus Game 5 predictions with Jackson Gatlin of Locked On Rockets. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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5-Hour ENERGY

KALSHI

DoorDash
From tipoff to overtime, stay in your bag and order on DoorDash.
Get snacks, drinks, gear — whatever gets you through the season — delivered right to your door.
DoorDash. In your bag all season long.

Indeed

Gametime

FanDuel

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There are all sorts of different signposts along the path towards building a team in the offseason, whether in the trade or free agent markets. But things can shift as you go from point A to B to C. One of the big ones? The playoffs. Think about last season, when major injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton radically changed the plans for the Celtics and Pacers respectively, and added motion to the offseason markets. 

This year, there is already talk of the Warriors doing a significant retool to try and make one more run with Steph Curry. Could the Rockets be in for another retool (around Kevin Durant and others?) given a shaky first round performance and some chemistry questions? With the Magic up 3-1 over the Pistons and Detroit's All-Star center Jalen Duren having a terrible series, there's some chatter that his max rookie extension, believed to be a formality, might not be automatic. And who knows what the Nuggets will do in an offseason where Peyton Watson is a free agent, and they have some very challenging roster choices to make? 

The Lakers, of course, have their decisions to make, including about the future of Austin Reaves. 

So how has the future started to bend to new events? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

5-Hour ENERGY

KALSHI

DoorDash
From tipoff to overtime, stay in your bag and order on DoorDash.
Get snacks, drinks, gear — whatever gets you through the season — delivered right to your door.
DoorDash. In your bag all season long.

Indeed

Gametime

FanDuel

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

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