Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers needed a bounceback game Friday in Washington after laying an egg in Cleveland on Wednesday, and Luka Dončić made sure they got it. Luka registered his second career FIRST HALF triple-double en route to 37/11/13, as the Lakers cruised past the Wiz 142-111. Needless to say, he was dominant from the jump, scoring with efficiency and moving the ball well. The Lakers as a group were making sure a lot of hands got touches possession to possession, built up a big lead after one, a huge lead after two, and were never threatened from there.

Luka was obviously the story, but he wasn't the only one. Deandre Ayton, who badly needed a great game, got one. 12-14 from the floor, 28 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Engaged and active from the start, aided by a Lakers group that got him involved early.

LeBron had 20, including some highlight dunks for the Washington crowd.

All in all, a great night. The only downer was Austin Reaves, who had been upgraded to questionable heading into the game, but was downgraded before it started. No setbacks, said JJ Redick, just caution. He's still on track to play before the end of the trip. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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First things first: Giannis Antetokounmpo is NOT going to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, even after he has officially been put on the block, and the Bucks are open for business. 

But that doesn't mean the Lakers aren't impacted by a potential Giannis deal. There are three major points where this (potential) trade can have an effect on how the deadline plays out in El Segundo... 

• First, the market is much more likely to be active with Giannis available. There are a lot of teams that see themselves as potential players in the Giannis Sweepstakes, and they don't want to use up anything that could be part of a trade that big in something smaller. That can tamp down the trade market a ton. 
• Second, the Lakers may not get Giannis, but that doesn't mean they can't be part of a trade that involves him. One scenario, for example: The Heat might be willing to move off Andrew Wiggins if they could get a first rounder, and in this scenario the Lakers could potentially keep Rui Hachimura. There could be a lot of moving parts, and the Lakers could be one of them. 
• Third, and most importantly, if Giannis is traded, the Lakers can officially stop being tempted by the possibility of acquiring him themselves. That means they can get to the business of building for Luka, without preserving assets in service of the possibility Giannis could be had. 

So what else is going on? Well, there's Dalton Knecht, who may or may not have asked for a trade. Not that it really matters, because the Lakers have already been looking to move him. But is he a player anyone wants, and would actually give something of value to get? Between him and whiffing on Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers have done themselves real damage, both on the floor and in the trade market. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Health updates! Plus, Giannis updates!

SEGMENT 2: Why a Giannis deal impacts the purple and gold. 

SEGMENT 3: Does anyone want Dalton? 

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This one got away from the Lakers in a hurry. After a decent first quarter against the Cavs in Cleveland, the Lakers lost control of the game near the end of the first half, and were completely blown out in the third quarter. 

LeBron James, who got a little teary watching a tribute video played for him before the game, finished with more turnovers (six) than assists (five). Luka Dončić (29 points, 12-20 shooting) did his level best to keep the Lakers in it, but turned his ankle falling off the court (there's a stepdown in Cleveland between the end of the court and the first row of seats) and was clearly impacted by the pain for the rest of the game. Fortunately, he was able to sit early, given how big the Lakers were down. 

After Luka, nobody scored more than 11 points. 

Oof. 

And it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because any hold the Lakers had on the game defensively disappeared in a hurry. Particularly in the third, the Lakers couldn't keep Cleveland off the three point line, or away from the rim. Bad combo. 

Probably the biggest story was a very nostalgic, reflective LeBron speaking with the media after the game. You can tell he knows time is short... he just hasn't figured out HOW short. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get thumped in Cleveland. 

SEGMENT 2: Luka banged up, Austin still out. 

SEGMENT 3: LeBron gets reflective. 

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The Lakers leaned hard into small ball lineups last year, and with some success... until the playoffs rolled around and things got ugly. 

This year, circumstances have made it hard to do much of anything consistently, but with Austin Reaves coming back soon, and Rui Hachimura rounding into form, could they be back in a similar situation? Per Trevor Lane on X, "Small sample size warning, BUT...Lakers are +28.8 per 100 in 255 poss with Rui Hachimura on the court without a center (Ayton/Hayes/Maxi). An ultra-switchy foundation featuring some combo of LeBron/Rui/Vando (call whoever you want the 5) with Luka/Smart/LaRavia has noticeably ramped up their defensive pressure and floor spacing."

There are a lot of reasons to think the Lakers could thrive, especially in short spurts, with lineups like these. Especially when Austin gets back. But should Lakers fans break out in hives thinking about it, given how everything ended last year? 

Well, context matters. And this year's team is, at least right now, better suited to play like this. First, they can go big if they want. Deandre Ayton is wearing on fans, for sure, but he's still a competent NBA center. Jaxson Hayes is significantly better now than he was last year. Even Drew Timme has shown the ability to be useful. Meanwhile, JJ Redick hasn't shied away from using size where he can. Plus, Vanderbilt is playing better, and has more of Redick's trust. Jake LaRavia is establishing himself as a disruptor/energy type. Smart bings some defensive chops the Lakers lacked in the backcourt last year, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith hobbled. 

So it can work, but the key is having a roster where it's not the only choice Redick thinks he has. 

Finally, trade talk. Things have been pretty quiet in the rumor mill, but there are still scattered reports about the Lakers. So what exactly are they doing? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Small ball is back, baby! 

SEGMENT 2: Why this year is different, regarding small ball. 

SEGMENT 3: Rumor time. What do the leaks mean about LA's approach? 

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It's nice to have one of those guys. 

By that, we're talking about a truly elite player, one who can do just stupid good stuff like drop 46 points on a hyper-efficient 15-25 shooting, while adding 11 assists and seven rebounds. That was Luka Dončić Monday in Chicago, as the Lakers picked up another solid win on this extended road trip, beating the Bulls 129-118. The Lakers fell behind early, but used strong work from Luka and LeBron James (20 first half points) to pull up by 20 before a late Chicago run cut the gap to 13 at the half. 

In the third, the Lakers seemed like they were going to repeat the formula used in Dallas on Saturday, as they allowed the lead to fall all the way down to a single point. But rather than give it up (and then fall behind) the Lakers built it back up, and weren't truly threatened from there. 

Gold stars for Rui Hachimura, as well, who was an incredibly good 9-11 from the floor, including 4-5 from three-point range, en route to 23 points. 

It was easily his best game since returning from injury, and probably his best game of the year to this point. 

Kudos to the Lakers as well for controlling the game by controlling the ball. Only six turnovers, which definitely limited Chicago's ability to put up easy points. (Not that they need much help - the Bulls have a very good attack.) 

On to Cleveland, Wednesday. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Luka Dončić, excellent at basketball. 

SEGMENT 2: Rui! 

SEGMENT 3: Time to worry about Ayton? 

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Going back to training camp, may people, including the hosts of this show, have been clamoring for Rui Hachimura to come off the bench, where his skill set -- offensive punch, shooting ability, and so on -- would be better featured. Moreover, putting Rui on the bench also makes it easier for JJ Redick to pair him with the kinds of defenders that can help raise his level and cover his shortcomings. 

And lo and behold, over the last three games, with Rui's minutes restriction seeming to end, the Lakers have had some very positive results in his minutes. 

So is this something they can capitalize on going forward? Now that Rui is capable of playing regular minutes, is Redick going to resist any temptation to put him back in the starting lineup? 

And what happens when Austin Reaves comes back, which should be before the end of this roadie? The Lakers need Austin's scoring, up and down the lineup, and just as important, for him to move other players into slots that suit them better. LeBron shouldn't be asked to put up 25-30 a night. The bench units get better because one more member of the Big Three is available there to play with them. Your last guy in the rotation may not play at all. 

These types of incremental improvements can make a significant difference for a team like the Lakers whose shortcomings are obvious and hard to address. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Rui as a sixth man... is it working? 

SEGMENT 2: Why it makes sense for Rui to come off the bench. 

SEGMENT 3: What happens when Reaves is back? 

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In the first half against the Mavericks in Dallas the Lakers played solid, efficient basketball, led (not surprisingly) by Luka Dončić, who always wants to stick it to his old team. Led by 13 at the half! 

In the third, however, it's like the lights flipped off. They turned the ball over seven times, missed a ton of layups, and were outscored 35-14. It was one of the worst 12-minute stretches of the season. Down 15 with 7:40 to go, the Lakers had a win probability of 1.7%. But then they managed to get the lid off the rim, get a few buckets and turn things up defensively. The Lakers chipped away at the deficit, and used two big Rui Hachimura triples (including one four-point play) to pull even and then ahead. LeBron, who was VERY quiet in the first half, came alive later in the game, including on defense. 

And of course Luka Dončić, who was two rebounds shy of a triple double. 33 points on 8-15 from the floor and 14-15 from the free throw line, plus eight rebounds and 11 assists. It wasn't a flashy game, but it was incredibly effective. 

Luka runs his record to 4-0 against his former team. A solid bounce back from a disappointing performance Thursday against the Clippers. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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Down 26 in the third quarter to the Clippers, it looked like a night where the Lakers, who have a long stretch of (actual) road games coming up, might just want to wave the white flag and let important players get some rest. 

Or... they could put a big comeback together and to close the third, then made a big push into the fourth. The Lakers got to within two, but couldn't close it out. You can be happy the team didn't quit and the fact that they were able to find a way to create momentum certainly makes the loss a little more palatable, but as JJ Redick noted after the game, the Lakers need to do a better job avoiding the type of big drought offensively that got them behind the eight ball in the second quarter, and the variance on the defensive side of things needs to narrow. 

But overall, what looked like it was going to be a disaster turned more into your garden variety bummer of a loss against a big crosstown rival. 

For their part, the Clippers have clearly turned things around, and while they lost too much ground early in the year to contend for a top four spot, it seems pretty likely they'll land in the top 10 and become arguably the scariest play-in team ever. 

Now the Lakers head out into the meat of the Grammy trip, with games coming in Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, New York and Brooklyn. Not quite a murderer's row, but six straight NBA road games presents a challenge, no matter the opponents. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: The comeback falls short, Lakers lose to Clippers 112-104.

SEGMENT 2: JJ Redick hints at selfishness, self-interest becoming a thing as the deadline approaches.

SEGMENT 3: LeBron James on the ESPN Report.

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Well, the good vibes around Tuesday's win over the Nuggets was overshadowed pretty fast. 

Baxter Holmes of ESPN dropped a long, well-reported story on the family drama that drove, and then surrounded, the sale of the Lakers from the Buss family to Mark Walter. It was, as so many things have been since Dr. Jerry Buss died and left control of the team to Jeanie and Jim in 2013, full of incredible tension between the Buss siblings. It was a story with conflict, alliances and more, and all of it exceedingly sad, because ultimately it was control of the team, whether in the most literal sense or in the challenges of trying to put a stamp on it, that ripped the family apart. 

There is a lot of stuff packed into the article, some of it known, some of it not, and a lot of dots that were connected in ways that likely make sense to people. There were interesting and revealing details about how Joey and Jesse Buss were let go from the team a few weeks ago, about bonuses paid out to team executives like Linda and Kurt Rambis, and contentions that management resented the credit LeBron James got for turning the team around after some awful seasons. 

And, of course, it lends itself to important questions going forward. How long does Walter look at Jeanie and Rob Pelinka as a trustworthy asset? How long until he assets more control? 

Ultimately, if you're someone who has followed the team closely for a while, the story reinforced a lot of what you might have already felt about the major players in this long running family drama, and how their conflict influenced how the Lakers were managed.

It's a family of very, very wealthy people, especially now that the sale has gone through. But at a major cost to the family bond. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: A big story about the Buss family. 
SEGMENT 2: The LeBron factor. 
SEGMENT 3: What's next? 

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One of the good things about Sunday's win over Toronto was that the Lakers did it without a big game from Luka Dončić. 

Tuesday in Denver, they picked up a huge win against the Nuggets, and this time Luka was in the middle of it all. He controlled most of the minutes he played, finishing with a very efficient 38 points (12-21 shooting) to go with 13 rebounds and ten assists. LeBron James was big, especially in the third quarter, with 19/9/8, and while the Lakers didn't get any double-figure scorers off the bench, they did have three players (Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Drew Timme) with nine. As a team, the Lakers not only took enough, but made enough 3's to keep the offense flowing. 

Frankly, had the Lakers managed to hit free throws (22-31), they could have won by a lot more. 

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of the victory, other than Dončić, was the way they stepped up defensively on Jamal Murray in the second half. Murray absolutely destroyed them in the first 24 minutes, but out of the break the Lakers made a concerted effort to get the ball out of his hands, aggressively doubling to force passes. And making someone else beat them was a very strong strategy. Denver went through long scoring droughts, and overall the Lakers held them to 36 points in the second half. Factor in a little shot luck if you'd like, those are still outstanding numbers. 

Best win of the year? Hard to say. But it's gotta be on the list. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Luka masterful as the Lakers pick up a win in Denver. 

SEGMENT 2: Has the defense turned a corner? 

SEGMENT 3: It's Timme Time! 

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