This game was full of suspense. That made the victory sweeter. What a game!

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Los Angeles Lakers will apparently look at free agent center Mitchell Robinson during free agency. General Manager Rob Pelinka is expected to be aggressive on the free agent market with the contracts of LeBron James and multiple other players coming off the books to open cap space. Austin Reaves getting a massive extension is the top priority, but the Lakers will have enough money to add a few more rotation players.

Robinson is entering free agency after his contract with the New York Knicks ends. Fansided’s Maxwell Ogden said the following about the Lakers’ interest in Robinson:

“As the Los Angeles Lakers survey the 2026 free agency market for the ideal center, Mitchell Robinson will inevitably surface on their radar. He’s an explosive athlete with elite defensive range, unrivaled offensive rebounding proficiency, and the perfect skill set to thrive as the lob threat Luka Doncic needs.”

DeAndre Ayton has been a general disappointment for the Lakers after they added him last offseason with the hopes of finding their future center. Despite having youth and athleticism on his side, Ayton has struggled to provide consistency. Robinson stands out as one of the best free agent options at the center with an affordable price tag.

Why Mitchell Robinson Makes Perfect Sense

The Lakers lack a defensive big man to grab rebounds and present a threat to opposing star centers. Robinson is a flawed offensive center and one of the worst free throw shooters in the NBA, but no one will argue against him providing defensive toughness.

The source article cited that Robinson stands out as the kind of center who typically thrives with Doncic. Comparisons are there for Robinson to fit a similar role to Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively on the Dallas Mavericks when Luka led the franchise to the NBA Finals just two seasons ago.

Reaves and Doncic need a center who can do the dirty work and make up for their flaws. Other options will be available, but Robinson will be quite affordable due to coming off injury concerns and having a lower ceiling. Time will tell if they find a better value or if they will offer Robinson the best deal.

Negative Side To Signing Mitchell Robinson

The affordable price tag for Robinson will come with his other flaws since he’s not a perfect player. Robinson has been the worst free throw shooter in the league over the past few seasons and is currently shooting 39.5% from the free throw line this year.

Injury concerns will also scare Lakers fans since Robinson missed 65 games last season and has dealt with some injuries this season. New York only plays Robinson 20 minutes per game, so the Lakers starting him would require more playing time.

Another center would be necessary to split minutes in close games when Robinson is struggling or getting intentionally fouled. Ayton currently has a player option to return one more season, and current reserve Jaxson Hayes will also be a free agent. Robinson would be a strong addition to the roster, but a trusted reserve is important as well.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Has everyone forgotten about Playoff Luka? He’s not a myth.
Luka Doncic’s 51-point masterclass on Thursday night was another reminder that Doncic is the most effortless scorer in the NBA. The offensive explosion from Luka powered the Los Angeles Lakers to their fourth-straight victory, and LA was tied for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference entering Saturday.

With the playoffs fast approaching, and with Doncic flaunting top form, it’s worth acknowledging to Lakers doubters that Luka has a history of elevating his play in the postseason. This means LA could be in for a surprise run at a title.

Luka’s tendency for playoff heroics gives the Lakers contention hopes

If you’re looking at Luka’s 26-29 playoff record as an indication of his postseason performance, you’re missing the point, which is this: Doncic led multiple Dallas Mavericks teams to unexpected playoff success, due to his postseason scoring prowess and natural flair for clutch play.

In the 2020 bubble playoffs, a 21-year-old Luka hit a game-winning, step-back three in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers to stave off a 3-1 series deficit. In case you’ve forgotten how epic this was, take a look below.

That wasn’t Luka’s only game-clinching 3 in a playoff game. In 2024, in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Luka hit a dagger 3 over Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves to give the Mavs a 2-0 series lead.

What made the shot even more cold-blooded was that it was on the road in Minnesota. (Gobert fans, maybe skip the video below for your mental health).

Moreover, Luka’s playoff history isn’t the tale of a couple of huge moments surrounded by status quo production. He levels up in the postseason, in general. Luka’s 30.9 points per game in the playoffs exceeds his career scoring average in the regular season (29.1).

A 22-year-old Doncic averaged 35.7 points per game in a 7-game bloodbath with the Clippers in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, with Doncic dropping 46 points in the Game 7 loss.

The following postseason, Luka led a No. 4-seed Mavs squad to the Western Conference Finals with a 31.7 PPG playoffs. This was pre-Kyrie Irving, by the way. Dallas had no business getting to the WCF, but they did have Playoff Luka.

When Luka Doncic is healthy, he’s unstoppable in the playoffs

“But Luka lost in the 2024 NBA Finals! And he lost in the first round of the 2025 playoffs!” Such are the arguments of passionate Luka haters who are ignoring the fact that Doncic’s body wasn’t close to 100 percent in either of the aforementioned series.

In the 2024 Finals, Luka was suffering from multiple lower body ailments that had accrued over the course of the season and had become more acutely painful during Dallas’ playoff run. He was basically mummified in ice bags every time he came out of the game.

And last season, in his debut playoffs with the Lake Show, Doncic was infamously out of shape and still getting used to his new team. LA didn’t stand a chance against the Wolves, and for what it’s worth, Luka still averaged 30.2 points per game in the 5-contest series loss.

All of this isn’t to say that Luka deserves a free pass for his conditioning and durability problems. The point here is that, if and when Luka is healthy, he’s absolutely a playoff riser, with the big moments and overall massive production to show for it.

As such, Luka’s habit of taking his game to another level in the postseason is something that could alter the Western Conference landscape in this coming playoffs. A lot of people have discarded the 2025-26 Lakers as an assumed first or second round exit. Fair enough. Doncic will need some help if LA is going to make a surprising run.

But if we’re about to see the Playoff Luka that’s emerged in multiple postseasons before, the Lakers’ ceiling is much higher than most people realize. Playoff Luka is an entity that no one can stop, not even the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs of the present.