Sorry to see him go, but he was at least given a chance. Here is hoping that the Lakers will fill his spot with a contributor.

Great news! But I am worried about the rust Marcus Smart is going deal with. At this point, any help would be welcome.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

After an emotional, rocky week, the Lakers steadied the ship, beating the undermanned Golden State Warriors 119–103. It was a much-needed win that prevented their first four-game losing streak of the season. And with just two games left, it ensures this team will go the entire year without such a skid for the first time since 2011–12, another sign of their resilience.

Postgame, JJ Redick pointed to this as the game where the group found its spirit and path again. He admitted that he and the staff overlooked the emotional toll of that dreadful night in Oklahoma City, when the team lost both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to injuries. Redick also took accountability, saying that trying to inject emotion and fire up the group in the rematch against OKC was not the right call.

Still, as much as this win was needed to prevent the team from spiraling further, listening to both Redick and LeBron James postgame made one thing clear: accepting the current situation will take time. That chemistry, the winning formula they had been searching for all year and finally found in March, was taken away so abruptly… and whether they want it or not, it lingers in the back of their minds.

The Lakers won’t have much time for second thoughts. They face the Phoenix Suns tonight on the second night of a back-to-back, in a crucial game to hold on to the fourth spot and home-court advantage against a likely first-round opponent in the Rockets.

Today’s notes:

A turnover fest in a game without star creators

LeBron dominates in big vs small matchup (VIDEO)

Team responds to JJ (VIDEO)

The stabilizing presence of Luke Kennard (VIDEO)

Searching for nine: the missing two

1-A turnover fest in a game without star creators

It was a much-needed win for the Lakers, but it wasn’t pretty. Both teams, missing their top two scoring options, had to find new ways to generate offense with unusual lineups, leading to plenty of mistakes.

Turnovers came in waves on both ends. The Lakers struggled to start the second and close the third, while the Warriors had issues at the start of the third and fourth, adding up to a sloppy, high-turnover game for both sides. For the Lakers, four players had three or more turnovers, a downside of increased ball movement and less centralized handling with Dončić and Reaves out.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

However, the Lakers overcame their sloppiness with elite shotmaking, while the Warriors couldn’t. The Lakers shot 55% from three, with several players having big nights from deep: LeBron James went 3-of-5, LaRavia 4-of-5, Hachimura 2-of-4, Bronny James 2-of-4, and Nick Smith Jr. caught fire late, hitting 4 of his 5 threes in the fourth quarter.

2-LeBron dominates in big vs small matchup (VIDEO)

Both teams were undermanned, but in different ways. The Lakers were without their three best guards, while the Warriors missed Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and all of their centers, turning it into a big vs small matchup. Kerr leaned into small, guard-heavy lineups, while Redick countered with bigger units, often featuring two bigs next to LeBron.

The Lakers struggled to adjust to the Warriors’ speed early, getting killed on the offensive glass despite their size advantage. But Golden State couldn’t capitalize, going just 9-of-30 from three, and the Lakers eventually cleaned it up and took over.

LeBron James was a matchup problem for the much smaller Warriors all night, whether it was scoring on the block, overpowering everyone in transition, or finding teammates off the mismatches he created in the post. LeBron finished with 26 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, clearly the best player on the floor on a night when all other stars were missing.

3-Team responds to JJ

I mentioned that Redick reflected on his overly emotional response after the last loss. There was a lot of discourse on whether that was the right approach, as calling out players publicly is always a sensitive topic. My take is simple: I’d rather see a coach who cares too much, who is overly obsessed with details, than the other way around. And as long as the team resolves it collectively, conflict can even be beneficial.

Deandre Ayton, one of the players in question after the last loss, responded with a strong bounce-back game, scoring 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Like LeBron, Ayton took full advantage of the Warriors’ lack of size and scrambling defense, with five of his nine makes coming inside against much smaller guards.

Lakers Nation
@LakersNation
JJ Redick on Deandre Ayton’s night:

“He played fantastic. The third quarter he was just dominant. A lot of that was very targeted because we were playing through the post and Draymond was going to overhelp and DA had his proper spacing. That touch shot for him at 8-10 feet, it’s
9:46 PM · Apr 9, 2026 · 7.95K Views
1 Reply · 8 Reposts · 140 Likes

Ayton has shown on several occasions this season that he can dominate smaller, less physical teams. Unfortunately, the Lakers won’t face many of those in the playoffs.

The other two players Redick called out, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt, both played extended minutes. Hachimura’s shotmaking was key as the Lakers were still trying to find their rhythm in the second quarter.

Vanderbilt played 26 minutes and helped stabilize things on the glass, but again showed why Redick has a hard time fully trusting him, with shaky decision-making leading to four turnovers.

4-The stabilizing presence of Luke Kennard (VIDEO)

Going back to decision-making. It’s the key to earning Redick’s trust. It’s why he has struggled at times with players like Ayton, Vanderbilt, and LaRavia this season, and Jaxson Hayes last year. On the other hand, it’s the same reason Luke Kennard is so entrenched and has carved out such an important role in the Lakers’ rotation.

Kennard delivered another rock-solid game as a secondary playmaker, with 14 points, 8 assists, and only one turnover.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko

Luke Kennard last 3 games for the Lakers: 13 points per game, along with 28 assists and only 4 turnovers

A stabilizing on ball presence, filling the ball-handling gap with Luka, Reaves and Smart OUT.

2:22 AM · Apr 10, 2026
Kennard arrived with a reputation as a knockdown shooter, but it’s his connective playmaking and decision-making on the ball that has stood out the most.

Source: Lakers Nation post on X

I think his lack of athleticism, which hurts the Lakers on defense and on the boards, makes his long-term fit more complicated than his successful short stint would suggest. But given the current situation and lack of other reliable decision-makers, you can’t blame Redick for leaning into Kennard so heavily.

5-Searching for nine: the missing two

After the previous game, Redick said he’ll use the final three games of the season to find nine guys who are all-in on fighting, no matter how shorthanded the Lakers are heading into the playoffs.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, we can suspect the count is currently at seven.

LeBron and Marcus Smart (the Lakers are hopeful he makes his return tonight against the Suns after missing nine straight games) are the two no-brainers. Kennard is very close to a lock as well. Hachimura is close too, either as a fill-in starter or a key scorer off the bench. Ayton is one, because the Lakers don’t have much choice but to hope he has more hits than misses. Hayes is a solid alternative if that happens, but the memory of last year’s playoffs, when he fell out of the rotation after the first real tests, will keep him a question mark until he proves otherwise. Jake LaRavia, who had a strong shooting night and another high-hustle game, is another player whose confidence will be tested in a higher-stakes postseason setting.

Any player beyond those seven is even more shaky, and hard to justify playing real minutes on a serious playoff team. Any team would be in trouble without its top two scorers, but especially the Lakers, who don’t have the same depth as some of the league’s best teams. And that’s another reason why the injuries suck. These playoffs were a chance to see which players could fit into the new long-term vision. Now, player evaluation becomes more difficult, as every player will be pushed up two spots in the hierarchy. But it’s also a chance for an unexpected hero to step up and surprise us, to shake off some of the conclusions we’ve built over the past 80 games.