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It’s been a very long time since the Lakers had blowouts like this in consecutive games. You have to go back to mid-November to even find games with margins similar to this, but these Lakers did it in back-to-back days.
You can easily discredit it by saying this is what they should be doing against these teams, but they haven’t been and that’s kind of been the problem. After a really miserable week of games against the Celtics, Magic and Suns, the Lakers seem to have reset the vibes again over the weekend.
It comes at an important time when they are set to see their schedule pick up, but it was a welcome sight to see LA jump ahead early in these two games and have very comfortable, stress-free victories.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
LeBron James
27 minutes, 24 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 8-15 FG, 3-4 3PT, 5-6 FT, +13
LeBron has looked awfully spry and re-energized this weekend, especially considering it was a back-to-back. With LA heading into the stretch run, having this version of LeBron, particularly with his shooting from three — would be huge.
Grade: A-
Marcus Smart
25 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-5 FG, 3-5 3PT, +17
This was a quintessential Smart game. He did a bit of everything, highlighted by his defense and hustle plays.
Grade: A-
Deandre Ayton
18 minutes, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 6-6 FG, 0-1 FT, +2
Quietly, Ayton had a pretty nice game. His first shift was particularly good as the Lakers jumped out to their big lead early.
Grade: B+
Austin Reaves
27 minutes, 12 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3-9 FG, 2-6 3PT, 4-4 FT, +15
After a solid game in San Francisco, Reaves faded into the background again. That’s been a common trend since the All-Star break and an increasingly concerning one.
Grade: B-
Luka Dončić
29 minutes, 28 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 10-16 FG, 4-8 3PT, 4-7 FT, +18
Another absurd third quarter from Luka, this time featuring one of the more ridiculous highlights he’s had as a Laker.
Grade: A
Rui Hachimura
22 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 2-8 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +12
After missing two games due to illness, it was nice to see Rui both back on the court and looking energetic. He looked a bit rusty but still had some nice defensive plays and continues to shoot threes at a high clip.
Grade: B-
Luke Kennard
26 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4-10 FG, 3-5 3PT, +17
Not to belabor a point since he’s no longer on the team, but Gabe Vincent has five made threes in his five games with the Hawks. Kennard had seven in the last two games.
Grade: B+
Jaxson Hayes
13 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 4 fouls, 2-2 FG, 0-1 FT, +16
Hayes battled some foul trouble, opening up minutes for Maxi Kleber. But in his limited time, he was rather productive.
Grade: B+
Jake LaRavia
22 minutes, 4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 2-10 FG, 0-3 3PT, +11
LaRavia feels like one of the few players who has quiet bad games. That might be attributed to the energy he brings regardless whether his shot is falling or not, but tonight was one of the nights where it felt like he had a good game only to see him shooting 2-10.
Grade: C-
Maxi Kleber
14 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 1 foul, 3-3 FG, +7
What an impactful 14 minutes from Kleber, who had a big block at the rim, nearly fought Malik Monk and had a couple of huge dunks. Perhaps he should have replaced Hayes in the dunk contest.
Grade: A+
Bronny James, Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht, Kobe Bufkin
Shoutout to Thiero’s huge dunk and Bronny’s three in garbage time.
JJ Redick
Another solid game from JJ, who made an interesting call by going to Kleber when Hayes got in foul trouble instead of Jarred Vanderbilt, who was a DNP-CD. Vando has struggled in recent games again, so it’s not a surprise to see him out of the rotation. If the Lakers are looking for an athletic wing to replace him, it might be worth giving Thiero some spot minutes in the next handful of games.
Grade: A-
Sunday’s DNPs: Jarred Vanderbilt
Sunday’s inactives: Chris Mañon, Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.