Despite missing two superstars, four of five starters, and their two best players off the bench, the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers showed their championship heart and almost pulled off the NBA upset of the year.
As 14 point underdogs, the hobbled Lakers went into the game with nothing to lose but eager to show the Nuggets this is a different team from the ones they dominated in the past. These Lakers are nobody’s daddy. Missing James, Doncic, Hachimura, Hayes, Finney-Smith, and Vincent, the Lakers started Reaves, Knecht, Goodwin, Vanderbilt, and Len with bench contributions from Milton, Morris, Koloko, James Jr, and Morris.
While the injury-riddled Lakers finished the brutal 4-game road trip 0–4, the team remains steadfast and confident that all they need to win the championship this year is to be 100% healthy heading into the playoffs.
Strategically, the Lakers are gambling on playoff health over playoff seeding. Despite their 4-game losing streak and a pair of looming back-to-backs without LeBron James, that bet is still looking like a savvy move.
Last night’s win showed just how deep and talented this Lakers team really is. Despite missing their two megastars, heady Austin Reaves and rookie Dalton Knecht were superb filling Luka Doncic’s and LeBron James’ shoes.
While Austin, Dalton, and the Lakers in Denver were valiantly trying to steal a win, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes were all rehabbing back in Los Angeles to become day-to-day going forward.
While the Lakers are still probably a week away from getting LeBron James back, they’ll hopefully get Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, and Rui Hachimura back sometime during the coming week.
What We Learned From Heartbreaking Loss to Nuggets
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Last night, JJ Redick, Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Christian Koloko showed the Denver Nuggets and the rest of the NBA why the winning road to this year’s championship will have to go through the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anybody who thought the Lakers were just punting last night’s game has not seen how hard this team plays for rookie head coach JJ Redick. JJ calls ‘playing hard’ the one ‘legit’ cheat code in the NBA and his team lives it.
The Lakers’ once controversial decision to hire untested rookie head coach JJ Redick has almost unanimously been declared a major success with him included as one of the top three candidates for NBA Coach of the Year.
Last night was a perfect example of how Redick has transformed the Lakers into a team that believes in their coach, their game plan, and their ability to matchup against any team in the NBA in a seven-game series.
Make no mistake, the Lakers have found their next Pat Riley and Phil Jackson in young JJ Redick, who’s the #1 reason beyond LeBron and Luka why the road to the 2025 NBA Championship will go through the Lakers.
Last night, we also saw the Lakers’ star power beyond LeBron and Luka as Reaves and Knecht shone brightly without James and Doncic just like the Celtics’ White and Pritchard did last week without Tatum and Brown.
Reaves had been struggling after returning from injury but finally seems to have his stroke from deep and elite quickness back. The Lakers also have to be thrilled right now that Dalton Knecht is still a Laker why he’s played.
Finally, it was great to see Christian Koloko get an opportunity. Koloko is a much better fit to start if Hayes is out and to back Jax up when he goes to the bench to rest. Luka Doncic especially will find him a lethal lob threat.
What To Expect From Next 5 & Last 12 Games
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While the Lakers expect James to miss another week, several Lakers players, including Vincent, Finney-Smith, Hachimura, and Hayes will hopefully start returning during the week to bolster the Lakers.
The Lakers are now #5 seed in the West with a 40–25 record. The #2 Nuggets have 24 losses while the #3 Rockets and #4 Grizzlies are tied with LA with 25 losses. The #6 Warriors are red hot but also have 28 losses.
Ideally, the Lakers would like to go 3–2 or 4–1 over the 5-game homestand. To do that, they need to win 1 or 2 of 3 tough games against the Suns, Nuggets, and Bucks and both of the games against the Spurs and Bulls.
Going 3–2 or 4–1 to for the 5-game homestand would put the Lakers in outstanding position with a 43–27 or 44–26 record and everybody on the team healthy and ready to go when LeBron James returns next week.
That would leave the Lakers 12 games remaining in the regular season, including 2 games vs. the Thunder, 2 vs. the Rockets, and 1 each vs. the Grizzlies and Warriors. Fully healthy Lakers should finish 9 of last 12.
That would give the Lakers a potential 2024–25 regular season record of 53–29 for a winning percentage of 64.6%, which would likely put Los Angeles as the #3 seed behind the #2 seed Denver and #1 seed Oklahoma City.
While the Lakers value playoff health over seeding, finishing #3 in the West would put LA in the same bracket as OKC , which would mean they would face them in second round and Denver in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers should get Doncic, Vincent, Finney-Smith, Hayes, and/or Hachimura back during the next five games and James back the week after, leaving them 100% healthy for remaining 12 games in the regular season.
What To Expect From Los Angeles Lakers In Playoffs
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If the Lakers can pull off their big gamble of playoff health over playoff seeding, they could end up with a 53–29 record and #3 seed in the West, which would mean likely facing the #2 seed Nuggets in second round.
The Lakers to a man believe they can beat any other team in the NBA if they are 100% healthy heading into the playoffs. When healthy, the Lakers not only have the best superstar duo in the league but also its #1 defense.
JJ Redick has combined a juggernaut offense run by the two smartest, most talented superstar playmakers and scorers in the entire league along with a legitimate #1 rated elite trapping, rotating, and swarming team defense.
While their health may remain a critical factor, everything is looking up for the Lakers right now. Their smart strategy of resting LeBron James rather than pushing to hold onto their higher playoff seed appears to be working.
While the Lakers have lost four games, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Dalton Knecht have all elevated their games to another level to make up for missing LeBron James and the team continues to play hard and compete.
The Lakers were not initially expected to compete for a championship this season, especially after rescinding the Mark Williams trade, but the superb coaching by Redick and his staff and the mega trade for Luka changed that.
While the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers have the best regular season records, a strong collection of NBA analysts and pundits think the more likely NBA Finals matchup could be the Lakers vs. Celtics.
Nothing would be sweeter for NBA fans than to see a Lakers and Celtics NBA Finals. The Lakers win #18, JJ wins #1, Luka wins #1, and LeBron wins #5. LA can smell another championship. This team’s destiny is a dynasty.
3-2?