Lakers Game Observations: Game 56 vs Celtics

February 23, 2026 at 9:00 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Instead of a statement win, another statement loss.

This was supposed to be the night when the Lakers showed they could do it. That they could beat the best teams.

Fully healthy. Biggest rival. National TV. The unveiling of Pat Riley’s statue before the game. Instead of a Showtime flashback in front of its architect, the Lakers delivered another no-show.

This was another disappointing blowout, a 111–89 loss to the Boston Celtics, in a season defined by uncompetitive performances against elite opponents. The Lakers looked overmatched again, adding another entry to a long list of noncompetitive breakdowns against the league’s best. A list that includes losses to the Boston Celtics twice, the Oklahoma City Thunder twice, the San Antonio Spurs twice, as well as the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Today’s notes:

Failure of shotmaking and lack of backup solutions

Base defense good enough, attention to detail not

High-profile Luka breakdowns, low-profile strong point-of-attack defense (VIDEO)

When shots and calls don’t go the Lakers’ way

Ayton and Smart low-floor games

1-Failure of shotmaking and lack of backup solutions

If you want a simple reason why the Lakers lost this one, it’s shotmaking. They followed up one of their best offensive games of the season against the Clippers with one of their worst against the Celtics, posting a 45.3 percent effective field goal percentage, their second-worst mark of the season.

Lakers lowest scoring outputs this season (source: Cleaning the Glass)

None of their three stars had a good shooting night. Neither did the role players. The Lakers never found any offensive rhythm, which suggests the diagnosis might be more complicated than simply saying the shots didn’t fall.

In the preview, I highlighted Boston’s clarity of vision. Last night was system versus star power, and system won. The Lakers, for the most part, rely on their three stars to win games through talent and shotmaking. But on off nights, they do not have the cohesion or the system to bail them out.

Boston, like the Suns and the Spurs before them, opened the game in a conservative drop scheme, aiming to contain the Lakers’ stars in one-on-one and two-on-two situations. The Lakers’ three stars took turns trying to crack it, but they simply did not make enough shots to force Joe Mazzulla into adjustments or push the Celtics out of their comfort zone.

Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves combined to shoot 22 of 53, just 41.5 percent. Dončić could not find his touch inside the arc, especially in the in-between spaces that are so crucial against drop coverage. James missed a couple of layups and went 1 of 5 from three. Reaves had an odd, low-usage night where his opportunities were far too rare, and he struggled to convert when he did get them.

Again, sometimes it really can be as simple as making enough shots to force adjustments. But we have seen the Lakers get sucked into a your-turn, my-turn style of attack against this coverage too many times not to recognize the pattern. When the individual approach is not working, they need a better systemic response.

2-Base defense good enough, attention to detail not

If there is one silver lining, it is this: the defense was not the main culprit. Against one of the league’s most efficient offenses, the Lakers were competitive on that end. As Redick put it, “We did enough defensively…we were just awful offensively tonight.”

The problem for the Lakers was that because the offense was so pedestrian, their margin for error became razor thin. They could not afford even the smallest breakdowns. And unfortunately, they had a few.

One of the key points in the scouting report against Boston is that they crash the glass from the wings. Yet the Lakers still gave up a couple of costly offensive rebounds that led to dagger threes from Payton Pritchard. They also had a few transition breakdowns, failing to contain the ball and giving up easy baskets. In a game played in the trenches, those details make all the difference.

3-High-profile Luka breakdowns, low-profile strong point-of-attack defense (VIDEO)

Luka Dončić’s defensive performance was the epitome of the Lakers’ good-effort, costly-couple-of-mistakes game. Poor shotmaking and a couple of high-profile breakdowns, arguing a missed call and of course being called out by Reggie Miller for not running back to prevent a layup, are always going to be part of the Luka discourse whenever Miller calls his games. Getting caught off guard by Hugo González’s cut on a sideline out-of-bounds play was the much bigger breakdown.

It is unfortunate because this was otherwise a very good defensive game by Luka Dončić. In my view, he was the best Laker last night when it came to staying in front of Boston’s two main scoring threats, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard. Brown shot 2 of 9 on attempts defended by Dončić, compared to 8 of 19 against everyone else. Overall, Boston shot 7 of 19 (37 percent) with Dončić as the closest defender.

The Lakers needed Dončić to be the best shotmaker, and he wasn’t. Pritchard got that title, at least for one night. But Dončić at least showed Redick a reference point for what he can be when locked in defensively, especially in terms of staying in front of the ball.

4-When shots and calls don’t go the Lakers’ way

If the Lakers got a couple of favorable breaks in their last game, they ended up on the wrong side of a few missed calls in this one.

A couple of missed offensive fouls on push-offs by Brown and Pritchard resulted in open buckets. A missed Brown elbow on a drive against Smart. And two obvious goaltends that were not called, one of them leaving Redick in disbelief even after the game, worse, turning into a big five-point swing. All of that culminated in visible frustration and three technical fouls assessed to Reaves, Smart, and Redick.

Dan Woike
@DanWoikeSports
Luka Dončić was asked about the Lakers’ three techs for arguing calls Sunday. “You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?” he replied. “Then you know it’s bad.”
7:55 PM · Feb 22, 2026 · 8.32K Views
12 Reposts · 250 Likes

The Lakers managed to battle through missed shots and bad breaks in the first half, but as both continued in the second, it felt like they lost the composure and confidence to keep fighting, and the game turned into another collapse. Another recurring theme in their defeats against elite teams.

5-Ayton and Smart low-floor games

When the Lakers finally got fully healthy and rolled out Smart and Ayton in the starting unit alongside their big three in Game 55, the general consensus was that this was the long-overdue right move. However, last night we saw that even if this is probably the best option, there is a downside to relying so heavily on two players who were signed on the cheap off the buyout market in the summer. The Lakers’ three stars struggling to score was the main problem, but the other two starters scoring just four points on 2-of-13 shooting provided little of the much-needed relief.

Smart has been a feel-good story, staying relatively healthy and making an impact with his hustle and defense. But the floor of his bad games is very low. This was the second game this season in which he played more than 20 minutes and failed to score. Smart has had several huge moments, coming up big in key stretches, including the win against the Clippers. But there have also been plenty of nights when he simply cannot buy a bucket, and teams start to disregard him. Boston even defended him with a center in the fourth quarter, which made life even more difficult for the primary creators.

If Smart has ups and downs, with Ayton it feels like the low- or no-impact games have become the norm over the last couple of months. I don’t know if it’s a lack of touches, involvement, or just confidence, but even the element of his game that made Ayton a success early in the season — his elite touch — seems to have deserted him lately. He’s missing the short hooks and floaters that were automatic early in the season, and when those shots are not falling, the other parts of his game tend to crumble as well. Last night, that meant being outworked on the glass by Neemias Queta, who posted 12 rebounds, four offensive boards, and three blocks, while Ayton managed just one rejection. Ayton’s low-energy night was even more problematic because the other big man, Jaxson Hayes, played only five first-quarter minutes before leaving the game with an ankle injury. And the Lakers, especially Dončić, really missed his preferred lob partner to make the Celtics’ big men more uncomfortable in drop coverage.

Comments

LakerTom says

February 23, 2026 at 9:00 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Instead of a statement win, another statement loss.

This was supposed to be the night when the Lakers showed they could do it. That they could beat the best teams.

Fully healthy. Biggest rival. National TV. The unveiling of Pat Riley’s statue before the game. Instead of a Showtime flashback in front of its architect, the Lakers delivered another no-show.

This was another disappointing blowout, a 111–89 loss to the Boston Celtics, in a season defined by uncompetitive performances against elite opponents. The Lakers looked overmatched again, adding another entry to a long list of noncompetitive breakdowns against the league’s best. A list that includes losses to the Boston Celtics twice, the Oklahoma City Thunder twice, the San Antonio Spurs twice, as well as the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Today’s notes:

Failure of shotmaking and lack of backup solutions

Base defense good enough, attention to detail not

High-profile Luka breakdowns, low-profile strong point-of-attack defense (VIDEO)

When shots and calls don’t go the Lakers’ way

Ayton and Smart low-floor games

1-Failure of shotmaking and lack of backup solutions

If you want a simple reason why the Lakers lost this one, it’s shotmaking. They followed up one of their best offensive games of the season against the Clippers with one of their worst against the Celtics, posting a 45.3 percent effective field goal percentage, their second-worst mark of the season.

Lakers lowest scoring outputs this season (source: Cleaning the Glass)

None of their three stars had a good shooting night. Neither did the role players. The Lakers never found any offensive rhythm, which suggests the diagnosis might be more complicated than simply saying the shots didn’t fall.

In the preview, I highlighted Boston’s clarity of vision. Last night was system versus star power, and system won. The Lakers, for the most part, rely on their three stars to win games through talent and shotmaking. But on off nights, they do not have the cohesion or the system to bail them out.

Boston, like the Suns and the Spurs before them, opened the game in a conservative drop scheme, aiming to contain the Lakers’ stars in one-on-one and two-on-two situations. The Lakers’ three stars took turns trying to crack it, but they simply did not make enough shots to force Joe Mazzulla into adjustments or push the Celtics out of their comfort zone.

Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves combined to shoot 22 of 53, just 41.5 percent. Dončić could not find his touch inside the arc, especially in the in-between spaces that are so crucial against drop coverage. James missed a couple of layups and went 1 of 5 from three. Reaves had an odd, low-usage night where his opportunities were far too rare, and he struggled to convert when he did get them.

Again, sometimes it really can be as simple as making enough shots to force adjustments. But we have seen the Lakers get sucked into a your-turn, my-turn style of attack against this coverage too many times not to recognize the pattern. When the individual approach is not working, they need a better systemic response.

2-Base defense good enough, attention to detail not

If there is one silver lining, it is this: the defense was not the main culprit. Against one of the league’s most efficient offenses, the Lakers were competitive on that end. As Redick put it, “We did enough defensively…we were just awful offensively tonight.”

The problem for the Lakers was that because the offense was so pedestrian, their margin for error became razor thin. They could not afford even the smallest breakdowns. And unfortunately, they had a few.

One of the key points in the scouting report against Boston is that they crash the glass from the wings. Yet the Lakers still gave up a couple of costly offensive rebounds that led to dagger threes from Payton Pritchard. They also had a few transition breakdowns, failing to contain the ball and giving up easy baskets. In a game played in the trenches, those details make all the difference.

3-High-profile Luka breakdowns, low-profile strong point-of-attack defense (VIDEO)

Luka Dončić’s defensive performance was the epitome of the Lakers’ good-effort, costly-couple-of-mistakes game. Poor shotmaking and a couple of high-profile breakdowns, arguing a missed call and of course being called out by Reggie Miller for not running back to prevent a layup, are always going to be part of the Luka discourse whenever Miller calls his games. Getting caught off guard by Hugo González’s cut on a sideline out-of-bounds play was the much bigger breakdown.

It is unfortunate because this was otherwise a very good defensive game by Luka Dončić. In my view, he was the best Laker last night when it came to staying in front of Boston’s two main scoring threats, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard. Brown shot 2 of 9 on attempts defended by Dončić, compared to 8 of 19 against everyone else. Overall, Boston shot 7 of 19 (37 percent) with Dončić as the closest defender.

The Lakers needed Dončić to be the best shotmaker, and he wasn’t. Pritchard got that title, at least for one night. But Dončić at least showed Redick a reference point for what he can be when locked in defensively, especially in terms of staying in front of the ball.

4-When shots and calls don’t go the Lakers’ way

If the Lakers got a couple of favorable breaks in their last game, they ended up on the wrong side of a few missed calls in this one.

A couple of missed offensive fouls on push-offs by Brown and Pritchard resulted in open buckets. A missed Brown elbow on a drive against Smart. And two obvious goaltends that were not called, one of them leaving Redick in disbelief even after the game, worse, turning into a big five-point swing. All of that culminated in visible frustration and three technical fouls assessed to Reaves, Smart, and Redick.

Dan Woike
@DanWoikeSports
Luka Dončić was asked about the Lakers’ three techs for arguing calls Sunday. “You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?” he replied. “Then you know it’s bad.”
7:55 PM · Feb 22, 2026 · 8.32K Views
12 Reposts · 250 Likes

The Lakers managed to battle through missed shots and bad breaks in the first half, but as both continued in the second, it felt like they lost the composure and confidence to keep fighting, and the game turned into another collapse. Another recurring theme in their defeats against elite teams.

5-Ayton and Smart low-floor games

When the Lakers finally got fully healthy and rolled out Smart and Ayton in the starting unit alongside their big three in Game 55, the general consensus was that this was the long-overdue right move. However, last night we saw that even if this is probably the best option, there is a downside to relying so heavily on two players who were signed on the cheap off the buyout market in the summer. The Lakers’ three stars struggling to score was the main problem, but the other two starters scoring just four points on 2-of-13 shooting provided little of the much-needed relief.

Smart has been a feel-good story, staying relatively healthy and making an impact with his hustle and defense. But the floor of his bad games is very low. This was the second game this season in which he played more than 20 minutes and failed to score. Smart has had several huge moments, coming up big in key stretches, including the win against the Clippers. But there have also been plenty of nights when he simply cannot buy a bucket, and teams start to disregard him. Boston even defended him with a center in the fourth quarter, which made life even more difficult for the primary creators.

If Smart has ups and downs, with Ayton it feels like the low- or no-impact games have become the norm over the last couple of months. I don’t know if it’s a lack of touches, involvement, or just confidence, but even the element of his game that made Ayton a success early in the season — his elite touch — seems to have deserted him lately. He’s missing the short hooks and floaters that were automatic early in the season, and when those shots are not falling, the other parts of his game tend to crumble as well. Last night, that meant being outworked on the glass by Neemias Queta, who posted 12 rebounds, four offensive boards, and three blocks, while Ayton managed just one rejection. Ayton’s low-energy night was even more problematic because the other big man, Jaxson Hayes, played only five first-quarter minutes before leaving the game with an ankle injury. And the Lakers, especially Dončić, really missed his preferred lob partner to make the Celtics’ big men more uncomfortable in drop coverage.

Log in to Reply

Reader Interactions

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply