Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

Behind a 4th quarter comeback that featured a huge performance from Lonnie Walker IV, the Lakers beat the Warriors in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Lonnie's big night, LeBron's matchup hunting, Anthony Davis continuing his elite two-way play, and the slew of adjustments from both coaches that led to a classic of a playoff game and a Lakers win. 

The Lakers blew out the Warriors in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in their playoff series. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the win, focusing on Anthony Davis' dominant defense, D'Angelo Russell's shot making, Lonnie Walker's reinsertion to the rotation, and other strategic adjustments Darvin Ham and his coaching staff made. Then later, the guys hit on LeBron James' play and how his effort and two-way p...

Golden State responded in Game 2 with a superb performance in the 2nd and 3rd quarters that turned a 7-point Laker lead into a 30-point deficit going into the 4th. The guys discuss their clever adjustments, the Lakers lack of force, a quiet night from AD, adjustments for Game 3, and more.

What sort of adjustments can we expect when the Lakers and Warriors face off in Game 2? Will the Warriors play and, potentially, start the game smaller? Will they put the ball in Steph's hands more? How can the Lakers get a more efficient scoring night from LeBron? Pete and Darius discuss these questions and more in their preview for Thursday's game. Then later, Mike is joined by none other than L...

The Lakers took Game 1 vs. the Warriors to steal home court advantage with a dominant game from Anthony Davis and a great defensive effort in the face of a three-point barrage from the Warriors. From AD's big night and two-way impact to Jarred Vanderbilt's defense, and the late game run that the Lakers had to survive, Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss all the angles of a great team win win.

In continuing their preview of the Lakers vs. Warriors 2nd round series, Pete and Darius turn their focus to the Lakers offense vs. the Warriors defense. From navigating the Warriors switching defense to leveraging their size in transition and on cuts to how the Lakers can create advantage in the P&R, the guys hit several keys to the Lakers being able to keep pace on offense. Then later, the g...

There are fewer higher profile matchups that could happen than Lakers vs. Warriors in the playoffs. Pete, Mike, and Darius begin their 2nd round preview with a look at both teams, how much to take away from their regular season matchups, their general impression of the series, and then begin their deep dive on the series with a look at the Lakers defense vs. the Warriors offense. Then later, the g...

The Lakers dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies with a 40-point thrashing in Game 6 to advance to the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs. Pete, Mike, and Darius celebrate the win and discuss the buzz in the arena, how locked in the team was, Anthony Davis' defensive brilliance, LeBron's fantastic two-way play, D'Angelo Russell's offensive explosion, and much more. 

The Lakers head into Game 6 at home with a chance to closeout the Grizzlies. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss what it will take to get there on both sides of the ball, focusing on attacking the Grizzlies switches, what they expect to see from LeBron offensively, and how Austin Reaves' defense on Desmond Bane has put him in the crosshairs on both sides of the ball. Then later, the guys discuss their...

Despite a choppy start and a subpar game from LeBron, the Lakers got Game 5 within a point in the third quarter, behind defensive adjustments and a flurry by D’Angelo Russell. But a 26-2 run that began the moment AD went to the bench put the game out of reach for Memphis, taking the series back to LA for Game 6. The guys discuss LeBron’s tough night, the bench groups that got steamrolled, the adju...

The Lakers are back on the road and have a chance to close out the Grizzlies in Wednesday's Game 5. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the effort it will take the Lakers to win the game, potential options to get Anthony Davis going offensively, and how the Lakers can counter the adjustments Memphis used to get Desmond Bane going in Game 4. Then later, the guys discuss the other Western Conference seri...

Led by a 20/20 night from LeBron James and great all around team effort, the Lakers won an OT thriller vs. the Grizzlies to take a 3-1 lead in their 1st round series. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, hitting on LeBron's big buckets to force overtime and then seal the game in OT, D'Angelo Russell's big shots in the 4th quarter, Dennis Schröder's defense, and all of Austin Reaves' timely pla...

Fueled by a dominant 1st quarter where they outscored Memphis 35-9, the Lakers took a 2-1 series lead with a big win over the Grizzlies Saturday night. Pete and Darius discuss the game, focusing on Anthony Davis' defense and the adjustments made to get him going on offense, LeBron's strong game, and what we can take away from some of the lineup tweaks during the non-AD minutes. 

After dropping Game 2 in Memphis, the Lakers are looking to wrestle control of the series back in a critical Game 3 on Saturday. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, focusing on potential adjustments to the rotation and X's and O's, the boost of the home crowd, and where the advantages are for LeBron and Anthony Davis vs. this Grizzlies defense and the ways to get them going — especially AD. 

The Lakers lost Game 2, never getting traction offensively vs. a locked in and desperate Grizzlies team. Pete and Darius discuss the game, focusing on the Grizzlies' adjustments defensively, Anthony Davis' struggles to hit shots amidst their defensive pressure, D'Angelo Russell's quiet game, and how Ja's absence impacted the Grizzlies' offensive approach and success rate. Then later, the guys disc...

The Lakers head into Game 2 with momentum, and facing off against the Grizzlies team that is banged up and dealing with uncertainty around Ja Morant's availability while desperately in need of a win to even up the series. Pete and Darius discuss the importance of the Lakers bringing the right mentality to tonight's game and why it can be the determining factor in who wins. Then later the guys disc...

Whether it was the Lakers' focus on transition offense, LeBron's work on the defensive glass, or D'Angelo Russell's shot making and passing, Pete and Darius discuss some of the positives that stood out to them on their rewatch of the Lakers Game 1 win. Then later the guys discuss ideas on how to manage the non-Anthony Davis minutes to better hold up defensively as the team prepares for Game 2. 

Behind a 29-point effort from Rui Hachimura, a masterful closing stretch form Austin Reaves, and a brilliant defensive game from Anthony Davis, the Lakers went into Memphis and beat the Grizzlies to take a 1-0 lead in their first round series. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, diving into AD's defensive performance, LeBron's defense and deference on offense down the stretch, and the major p...

With game one of the Lakers series vs. the Grizzlies starting on Sunday, Pete, Mike, and Darius preview the series in full and discuss some of the keys for the Lakers success and points of concern on both sides of the ball. 

The Lakers open their playoffs in Memphis with game 1 this Sunday. In part one of their playoff preview, Pete, Mike, and Darius do more of a "self scout" to examine the team on both sides of the ball as they head into this series. Whether it's LeBron's defense in the non-Anthony Davis minutes, the importance of D'Angelo Russell's play and limiting turnovers on offense, or how much the time off bef...

The Lakers are going to the playoffs! Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the Lakers win over the T'Wolves to lock into the 7th seed, focusing on Minnesota's fast start and great first half, the Lakers 2nd half defense, the balance between LeBron and AD's offensive games and usage, and how Dennis and Rui provided huge lifts off the bench. 

The Lakers face the Timberwolves in Tuesday's play-in game for the chance to claim the 7th seed and advance to the playoffs. Pete, Mike, and Darius preview the game, focusing on the Wolves' compromised defense and potential for improved offense with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels out, how LeBron and Anthony Davis can set the tone offensively, how the minutes when AD rests are pivotal to the outco...

The Lakers closed out their season with consecutive wins to finish 7th in the West and set themselves up to host a play-in game on Tuesday. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the team's final games, the importance of LeBron ramping up and finding his jumper, the difficulties of playing high-stakes games vs. the types of teams the Lakers faced, and much more. 

In a recurring theme over the last month-plus, the Lakers head into their most important -- and final -- weekend of the regular season where all the playoff seeding and play-in implications will be settled. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss some of the different scenarios, express how they think the Lakers should be approaching these final games, and then preview Friday's matchup with the Suns and Su...

The Lakers lost to the Clippers on Wednesday night, dropping a game that had real postseason implications. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, focusing on the decision for LeBron and Anthony Davis to play on the 2nd night of a back to back, the rest disadvantage faced as a result of both team's schedules heading in, and some of the key takeaways from LeBron's 2nd half and the bench struggles....