FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The curse is broken… Lakers finally make a stand.

Boy, the Lakers needed a game like this badly!

After a season full of disappointing no-shows and blowout losses to the best teams in the league, the Lakers finally got an impressive win. They almost had one against Denver but couldn’t make enough shots for the final push. In this game, the same script almost repeated, but the Lakers dug even deeper on defense and won by getting crucial stops throughout the night.

After a disappointing stretch with three straight losses, the Lakers responded by winning five of their last six games. And if beating the somewhat competitive Pelicans and Warriors was fine but not particularly impressive, beating the Knicks, a top-five team by record and advanced stats, a top-three offense, and a team that has been on a roll lately, certainly is.

No rest for the Lakers, though. Another huge game awaits tomorrow against the Timberwolves, who sit just one game ahead of them in the standings.

Today’s notes:

An end-to-end dose of effort and energy (VIDEO)

Are better defense and more hustle becoming a real trend?

Luka aggressive and in control despite up-and-down shooting (VIDEO)

The Austin Reaves Game

No LeBron, simpler choices, more lineup fun

1-An end-to-end dose of effort and energy (VIDEO)

It was clear from the opening tip-off that the Lakers wanted this one badly. One of their problems this season has been easing into games and then trying to pick up the energy later. Not in this one. Deandre Ayton collected a couple of early blocks. The Lakers were flying around. And when that happens, you know who is leading the charge. And you can read that both literally and figuratively. Marcus Smart, the undisputed energy leader of this team, drew two charges in this game, a small part of an otherwise impressive hustle highlight reel that explains how a player who shot 1 of 10 from the field ended up with a game-high +27 in plus/minus.

But he was far from alone in this game. Luka Dončić took two charges as well, although, as he of course pointed out, he was only credited for one.

Source: post on X

Other Lakers followed Smart’s lead in hustle and physicality. Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, and Maxi Kleber all made an impact defensively, and Austin Reaves closed the game with three stops against Jalen Brunson.

2-Are better defense and more hustle becoming a real trend?

The Lakers have stacked up some impressive defensive performances during this recent stretch, and JJ Redick has highlighted in a couple of recent media sessions that they have been close to a top-10 defense since the All-Star break.

However, because of their season-long struggle to play high-level defense for prolonged periods, Redick and his team will have to show more in the upcoming games to make me fully buy into that. The Lakers have played some games against weak opposition and have also been very lucky when it comes to opponents’ three-point percentage in their recent wins. The Knicks shot only 8 of 34, or 23.5 percent, from beyond the arc.

One thing I can’t ignore is the fact that the Lakers’ defense has been much more active recently. And that showed up again in a game with a very high opponent turnover rate.

We’ve seen the Lakers’ defense swarm and collapse, limiting three great offensive players — Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokić, and Jalen Brunson — to uncharacteristically low-efficiency, high-turnover games. Jokić had nine turnovers against the Lakers, and Brunson finished with seven while shooting 8 of 19 from the field.

3-Luka aggressive and in control despite up-and-down shooting (VIDEO)

I guess Mike Brown, after watching Dončić go supernova by scoring 44 points in three quarters in his prior game against the Pacers, decided he wasn’t going to play with fire. The Knicks basically doubled or showed two defenders on every Dončić ball screen, a predictable strategy with two defenders, Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, whom you don’t want to leave on an island against Luka.

Because the game was played in a rare European prime-time slot, with much of his home country watching, Dončić was very aggressive despite the extra attention. The result was a season-high 16 three-point attempts, a stat that included a ridiculous circus shot over OG Anunoby and a long-distance dagger to seal the game, but also some unnecessary contested hero shots mixed in between.

Dončić scored 35 points on 11 of 25 shooting. Not great efficiency, but in a low-scoring game it still made a difference. Because the Knicks were so focused on stopping Dončić, they were in rotation and scramble mode for most of the night, which meant Lakers top spot-up threats like Rui Hachimura, and even the league’s most accurate three-point shooter, Luke Kennard, got plenty of wide-open looks.

Kennard and Hachimura combined for fifteen three-point attempts, an outcome Redick will take on any given night and one that shows how comfortable were the Lakers playing advantage basketball even if the end result was not elite efficiency.

4-The Austin Reaves Game

Dončić wasn’t the only one who had the Knicks’ defense on their heels. After a prolonged stretch of so-so games, Reaves had what you would call a textbook second-option game, finishing with a 25/5/3/3 stat line.

Dončić set up his favorite running mate for two open looks in the corner to open the game. The first resulted in three free throws, the second in an open corner three. Reaves didn’t need any help after that. He put as much pressure on the Knicks’ defense with his paint attacks as Dončić did, generating good looks for himself and his teammates. He also kept the Lakers ahead during a rare stretch late in the first half when Dončić was struggling.

Both Dončić and Reaves had very active and impactful games on both ends, which, in the words of their teammate Jaxson Hayes, hyped everyone else up. And if the Lakers’ front office wants a game as an exhibit that the pairing is worth building around in the future, this one will probably be it.

5-No LeBron, simpler choices, more lineup fun

Watching this game, one could not get around what is now a broader national discussion about the compatibility of the Lakers’ three stars. Dončić and Reaves looked more comfortable, more in rhythm, knowing exactly when their time at the head of the wheel would come. The same was true for role players like Hachimura, who got more touches.

Source: Graphic from the ABC game broadcast

I really don’t like the fact that this will become another polarizing black-and-white discussion and a referendum on James, because he definitely does not deserve it. However, we cannot hide from the fact that the Lakers have looked their best this season in games where Dončić and Reaves were the clear primary options, and that the added offensive benefit of having a third ball-dominant creator is much lower than the defensive deficit that comes when his minutes replace those of low-usage, high-effort, fill-the-gaps players. Or, as Andy Kamenetzky, host of Locked On Lakers, put it, the lineup decisions become simpler.

Source: Kamenetzky Brothers post on X

Speaking of lineups, Redick seemed to have a lot of fun with them last night.

From all-offense, all-shooting groups featuring Dončić, Reaves, Hachimura, and Kennard, to all-hustle, all-defense units where one of the creators was surrounded by two or three banshees: Smart, LaRavia, Vanderbilt, or Kleber. Both groups had success at various points in the game, and even if they will be harder to replicate once James returns, these stints should still provide important signals, data points, and lessons for the Lakers’ rebuild in the summer.

6 GAME 'STATEMENT' STRETCHPROPELLS LAKERS TO 3RD SEED!Lakers are getting red hot from deep at the exact right time. During 6 game streak, Lakers 120.3 offensive rating is 5th best in NBA, 106.8 defensive rating is 6th best in NBA, and +13.4 net rating is 5th best in NBA.… pic.twitter.com/mKrRZTYmIo— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 9, 2026

Luka Doncic and the Lakers take down the Knicks without LeBron James 😤🔥🟡35 points🟣8 rebounds🟡4 assists🟣2 steals🟡11-of-25 FG🟣5-of-16 3PT🟡8-of-10 FT pic.twitter.com/ZktdzWXHiA— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 8, 2026

AUSTIN REAVES TONIGHT 🌟 38 minutes 🌟 25 points 🌟 5 assists 🌟 4 rebounds 🌟 8/16 FGGETTING BETTER EVERYDAY 📈 pic.twitter.com/cIi7GZ7xQx— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) March 8, 2026

Final: Lakers 110, Knicks 97A gritty statement win for the Lakers. Arguably their best of the season. They improve to 39-25 and jump DEN for the No. 5 seed. Also improve to 5-12 vs. teams with a win % of .600+. Luka had 35/8/4. AR had 25/4/5.Up next: vs. MIN on Tues.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 8, 2026

Lakers win 110-97 against the Knicks. It's their first win as an underdog, per @statmuse, since Dec. 14 — a stretch where they've lost 12 straight against "better" teams. Luka, Reaves were great on both ends.— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) March 8, 2026

BIGGEST. WIN. OF. THE. SEASON. 👏 pic.twitter.com/mS1AYqC231— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) March 8, 2026

Ideally, we want to end up as #3 seed to avoid playing the # seed. Assume Thunder and Spurs will end up 1 and 2. I’d rather play the Spurs before the Thunder. I think we can beat Nuggets, Rockets, or Timberwolves. If we play like we did today, we could easily make the conference finals if we get #3 seed. Not worried about anybody from the play-in. West will be won by top-6 team.