Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The game the Lakers played Tuesday against the Nets in Brooklyn went exactly as it should have. LA rolled a genuinely ghastly Nets squad, went up by nearly 40 and threw it in cruise control en route to a 125-109 victory that wasn't nearly as close as the final score might indicate. Luka Dončić played well. LeBron James played well. Jake LaRavia finally got a few easy buckets to help lift his confi...

Thursday's NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Lakers are in a tough spot as they look to build around Luka Dončić. The pressure for them to act is significant, but their assets are limited. The League might be active... but teams might collectively wait for the Giannis Sweepstakes to end before making their next moves. There aren't that many appealing players out there, anyway, and th...

For a half, at least Sunday's game in New York had the chance to be a candidate for "best win of the season."  It was a ragged, disjointed game from both sides, but one the Lakers were winning at the break. In the third, however, the Knicks started straightening things out, but the Lakers couldn't get untracked offensively, and as a result couldn't keep up. 112-100 the final, in what could have be...

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...

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 m...

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,...

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...Lake...

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...

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....

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 t...

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...

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 te...

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,...

First things first, the Lakers have an All-Star starter. That's not unusual, it happens every year it seems! And this year, it's Luka Dončić, who will represent the purple and gold for the World team. Meanwhile, though, LeBron James had his two-decade streak of All-Star nods snapped, and it's an open question as to whether he'll eventually make the team... or even if he wants to, in his heart of h...

This was a game the Lakers really needed.  Not just that they beat the Toronto Raptors Sunday at Crypto.com, 110-93, but the way they got it done. This was as balanced a team effort as the Lakers have had in a long while. Luka Dončić (25 points, seven assists) wasn't bad, but he wasn't dominant. LeBron James (24 points, seven dimes) continued a solid stretch of play, but wasn't turn-back-the-clock...

Some games are borderline unwinnable, assuming the opponent shows up to play. Portland did, and without Luka Dončić, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes and (of course) Austin Reaves, the Lakers were simply down too much talent.  The end result was predictable-- the available players put out a good effort, and ultimately it didn't matter. Final score, 132-116. The Lakers are now sliding dangerously clo...

Luka Dončić was 15-26 en route to 39 points. LeBron James was efficient, scoring 29 points on 10-19 from the floor.  So 68 points on good percentages from the two stars, a very low turnover number (nine)... and yet the Lakers still lost to the visiting Charlotte Hornets by 18. Final score, 135-117. LaMelo Ball, who had only three points at the half, finished with 30. Brandon Miller, 26. Miles Brid...

Generally speaking, players don't want their agents to be making headlines.  That apparently applies these days even to LeBron James and his agent Rich Paul, who have long been seen as a symbiotic pair - when Paul speaks, it's on behalf of LeBron. So when Paul used time on his new podcast with Max Kellerman to discuss trade scenarios, including a hypothetical that would send Austin Reaves to Memph...

The lid finally came off the hoop.  The Lakers, who couldn't have been colder Monday night in Sacramento, hada completely different experience against the Hawks on Tuesday. They were red hot from the floor, scoring 81 points in the first half, and despite a horrible third quarter in which they allowed what had been a 32-point half was more than halved, they found their footing again in the final q...

When the Lakers lose, they lose loud. Monday in Sacramento, though, was a screamer.  Playing a team tied for the worst in the Western Conference, the Lakers feel behind early, and couldn't really threaten to complete the comeback. Final score, 124-112. Statistically, the Kings benefitted from a shockingly good shooting night from the perimeter, making 17-26 (65%). DeMar DeRozan, who didn't take a...

The Lakers get a big lift Monday night. Rui Hachimura is off the injury report entirely and, barring some sort of late setback, will be back in the lineup Monday night in Sacramento.  No surprise, given the time he was out, but JJ Redick said Sunday he'd be on a minutes restriction, and come off the bench.  The big question for Lakers fans is whether this is just temporary, or if the minutes restr...

For most of the night, the Lakers looked like they weren't going to have a chance to win... then all of a sudden they not only had a chance, but found themselves up four with three minutes to play. From there, though, they couldn't extend the comeback. Giannis poked the ball away from LeBron James on the final trip, and the Lakers lose 105-101.  It's the first clutch time loss of the year for the...

It's only early January, but we've already seen the first big deal of the year, as Trae Young was sent to Washington. Giannis says he's not asking out in Milwaukee, and the Bucks are reportedly trying to find ways to improve.  Yep, we're in the thick of it.  For the Lakers, it's a tricky proposition. With 23 wins, they're among the league leaders. But their 12 losses have all been by (famously at...

It's hard to fault the effort, but the Lakers—who added LeBron James to the list of guys in street clothes, to go along with Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura—ultimately were out-talented Wednesday night in San Antonio. Final score, 107-71.  It was a sloppy game, for sure, but the Lakers did what they could to stay in it. What they needed, though, was a night where the whole team shoots well from do...

It wasn't a work of art, but it was enough to get the job done.  After being outplayed in the third quarter, the Lakers entered the fourth down seven in their visit to New Orleans against the Pelicans. At that point, LeBron James took over, looking extremely spry as he put on an offensive show (including one steal and finish at the other end). Luka Dončić hit a pair of improbable 3's late, and the...