IZTOK FRANKO: LAKERS GAME OBSERVATIONS: GAME 76 VS. CAVS

April 1, 2026 at 10:13 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Luka and the Lakers close their March Madness in style.

The Lakers closed March in impressive fashion, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 127–113 in a convincing win.

It was the perfect cherry on top of an incredible month. Despite a tough, condensed schedule, the Lakers went 15–2, good for the most wins in that span, and clinched their 50th win before April.

A month that completely flipped the vibes and the narrative around the team.

Not long ago, this was a group that “couldn’t beat good teams.” Over the last 30 days, they’ve beaten the Knicks, Wolves, Nuggets, Rockets twice, and now the Cavaliers.

And right at the center of it all, Luka Dončić. A month ago, he was the focal point of what felt like a coordinated, league-wide smear campaign. Now, he’s playing at a level so dominant that even the biggest skeptics can’t ignore him in the MVP race.

Today’s notes:

Luka, what are we witnessing? (VIDEO)

Shift in strategy leads to one of the better defensive performances this season

Deandre Ayton doing the dirty work on the boards and screens (VIDEO)

Jake LaRavia’s long overdue payback for his hustle

Lakers at their best when the blender is ON (VIDEO)

1-Luka, what are we witnessing? (VIDEO)

In my preview, I mentioned this would be a matchup of two high-octane offenses on a heater, and that the winner might come down to which one could dominate more.

After a hot start and a high-scoring first quarter on both sides, there was no doubt. The Cavs cooled off, while Luka Dončić was just getting warmed up.

Dončić closed with another ridiculous stat line: 42 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, and 6 threes. Just another otherworldly performance in a growing list of them.

It’s hard to find new words to describe Dončić’s recent excellence. Sometimes the only thing left to do is just enjoy and appreciate the greatness we’re watching.

Jovan Buha
@jovanbuha
JJ Redick said Luka Doncic had as good of a month (March) as any player in NBA history. He cited LeBron James, James Harden and Steph Curry as examples of players who have had similar caliber months.
10:08 PM · Mar 31, 2026 · 12.3K Views
3 Replies · 55 Reposts · 666 Likes

2-Shift in strategy leads to one of the better defensive performances this season

Going into this game, especially with Marcus Smart missing his fifth straight game due to an ankle contusion, there was real concern about how the Lakers would handle one of the hottest perimeter duos without their only proven point-of-attack defender.

The Lakers struggled with James Harden early, either conceding easy floaters or finishes at the rim for his main pick-and-roll partner, Jarrett Allen, giving up a total of 34 first-quarter points.

To JJ Redick’s credit, he didn’t wait for his team to figure it out chasing Harden around screens. He changed course, going with what he calls “fifteen,” a switch-everything 1-through-5 scheme, with help behind the play to protect the on-ball defender. The switching pushed the Cavs into isolation-heavy basketball, where nobody besides Allen on the block, found any rhythm. And you’ll take Jarrett Allen leading the scoring on a team with Harden and Donovan Mitchell any day of the week. The Lakers held Mitchell to just six field goals and two first-half points, finishing with only 10, almost 18 below his season average. Harden finished with 17 points and just 3 assists, while Evan Mobley scored only six.

Cleveland was on the second night of a back-to-back, traveling from Utah, but that shouldn’t take away from the Lakers’ defensive performance in the second and third quarters, when they completely shut down one of the most potent offenses in the NBA.

3-Deandre Ayton doing the dirty work on the boards and screens (VIDEO)

I praised Jaxson Hayes for bringing the energy injection off the bench the Lakers needed against a couple of weaker opponents in recent games. In this one, Deandre Ayton brought it from the start.

Ayton did the dirty work expected from a big playing next to Dončić. He set the tone by dominating the offensive glass, keeping the Lakers close by cleaning up early misses while Dončić and the offense were still warming up. Ayton grabbed five of his six offensive rebounds in the first half.

But Ayton’s impact didn’t stop there. He created several open looks for Dončić by setting hard screens, an underrated part of his game given his size and strength. As a side note, the Cavs’ strategy of going under Dončić’s screens, despite him shooting 39% from three in March, was either a flawed game plan or an acceptance of reality. With the way No. 77 is playing, the only way to slow him down might be hoping for an off night from beyond the arc.

Ayton also held his own against Harden and Mitchell, staying in front and contesting pull-ups, a key element of Redick’s switching scheme. He capped it off with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.

4-Jake LaRavia’s long overdue payback for his hustle

LaRavia started his fifth straight game, filling Smart’s role as the primary on-ball defender. LaRavia has had his ups and downs this season, both as a shooter and while being overtaxed in that primary stopper role. Still, Redick praised his progress after the last game, and he was a key part of the effort that led to a rare Mitchell off night.

Benjamin Royer
@thebenroyer
I asked Lakers coach JJ Redick last night about Jake LaRavia’s defensive growth from Day One of 25-26 to now.

“His execution of what we’re trying to do and what his role is, going back to December, has been at such a high level. The coaching staff loves him and we trust him.”

12:43 PM · Mar 31, 2026 · 5.52K Views
1 Reply · 3 Reposts · 25 Likes

One thing that hasn’t wavered in LaRavia’s game is his hustle and effort. And last night, it was finally rewarded with a very solid offensive output as well.

After more than a month without scoring in double figures and not making more than one three in a game, LaRavia hit both of his threes, went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, scored 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, added a steal, and even threw down a poster dunk over Allen.

5-Lakers at their best when the blender is ON

As much as Dončić’s individual brilliance is fun to watch, the Lakers’ offense reaches another gear when there is more pace, movement, and multiple actions that shift the defense by changing the side and angle of attack.

With Dončić, James, Reaves, and even Kennard, the Lakers have multiple threats who can start the “blender” or keep the advantage alive with their drive-and-kick game once it’s on. There were several possessions last night when the Lakers punished the Cavs’ tired legs and their unwillingness to make the third, fourth, or even fifth effort on defense.

It’s worth noting that two of the three possessions I clipped came out of timeouts, where Redick and his staff showcased their X’s and O’s acumen and ability to press different breaking points.

However, in games against the best teams, like the two upcoming matchups with the Thunder, the Lakers will need to incorporate elements of their ATO sets into their regular offense as well, especially the pace and strong-to-weakside attack shifts. The best defenses are too good otherwise, unless Dončić and co. have an outlier shotmaking performance. Which, based on how things have been going lately, is also not out of the realm of possibility.

Comments

LakerTom says

April 1, 2026 at 10:13 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Luka and the Lakers close their March Madness in style.

The Lakers closed March in impressive fashion, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 127–113 in a convincing win.

It was the perfect cherry on top of an incredible month. Despite a tough, condensed schedule, the Lakers went 15–2, good for the most wins in that span, and clinched their 50th win before April.

A month that completely flipped the vibes and the narrative around the team.

Not long ago, this was a group that “couldn’t beat good teams.” Over the last 30 days, they’ve beaten the Knicks, Wolves, Nuggets, Rockets twice, and now the Cavaliers.

And right at the center of it all, Luka Dončić. A month ago, he was the focal point of what felt like a coordinated, league-wide smear campaign. Now, he’s playing at a level so dominant that even the biggest skeptics can’t ignore him in the MVP race.

Today’s notes:

Luka, what are we witnessing? (VIDEO)

Shift in strategy leads to one of the better defensive performances this season

Deandre Ayton doing the dirty work on the boards and screens (VIDEO)

Jake LaRavia’s long overdue payback for his hustle

Lakers at their best when the blender is ON (VIDEO)

1-Luka, what are we witnessing? (VIDEO)

In my preview, I mentioned this would be a matchup of two high-octane offenses on a heater, and that the winner might come down to which one could dominate more.

After a hot start and a high-scoring first quarter on both sides, there was no doubt. The Cavs cooled off, while Luka Dončić was just getting warmed up.

Dončić closed with another ridiculous stat line: 42 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, and 6 threes. Just another otherworldly performance in a growing list of them.

It’s hard to find new words to describe Dončić’s recent excellence. Sometimes the only thing left to do is just enjoy and appreciate the greatness we’re watching.

Jovan Buha
@jovanbuha
JJ Redick said Luka Doncic had as good of a month (March) as any player in NBA history. He cited LeBron James, James Harden and Steph Curry as examples of players who have had similar caliber months.
10:08 PM · Mar 31, 2026 · 12.3K Views
3 Replies · 55 Reposts · 666 Likes

2-Shift in strategy leads to one of the better defensive performances this season

Going into this game, especially with Marcus Smart missing his fifth straight game due to an ankle contusion, there was real concern about how the Lakers would handle one of the hottest perimeter duos without their only proven point-of-attack defender.

The Lakers struggled with James Harden early, either conceding easy floaters or finishes at the rim for his main pick-and-roll partner, Jarrett Allen, giving up a total of 34 first-quarter points.

To JJ Redick’s credit, he didn’t wait for his team to figure it out chasing Harden around screens. He changed course, going with what he calls “fifteen,” a switch-everything 1-through-5 scheme, with help behind the play to protect the on-ball defender. The switching pushed the Cavs into isolation-heavy basketball, where nobody besides Allen on the block, found any rhythm. And you’ll take Jarrett Allen leading the scoring on a team with Harden and Donovan Mitchell any day of the week. The Lakers held Mitchell to just six field goals and two first-half points, finishing with only 10, almost 18 below his season average. Harden finished with 17 points and just 3 assists, while Evan Mobley scored only six.

Cleveland was on the second night of a back-to-back, traveling from Utah, but that shouldn’t take away from the Lakers’ defensive performance in the second and third quarters, when they completely shut down one of the most potent offenses in the NBA.

3-Deandre Ayton doing the dirty work on the boards and screens (VIDEO)

I praised Jaxson Hayes for bringing the energy injection off the bench the Lakers needed against a couple of weaker opponents in recent games. In this one, Deandre Ayton brought it from the start.

Ayton did the dirty work expected from a big playing next to Dončić. He set the tone by dominating the offensive glass, keeping the Lakers close by cleaning up early misses while Dončić and the offense were still warming up. Ayton grabbed five of his six offensive rebounds in the first half.

But Ayton’s impact didn’t stop there. He created several open looks for Dončić by setting hard screens, an underrated part of his game given his size and strength. As a side note, the Cavs’ strategy of going under Dončić’s screens, despite him shooting 39% from three in March, was either a flawed game plan or an acceptance of reality. With the way No. 77 is playing, the only way to slow him down might be hoping for an off night from beyond the arc.

Ayton also held his own against Harden and Mitchell, staying in front and contesting pull-ups, a key element of Redick’s switching scheme. He capped it off with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.

4-Jake LaRavia’s long overdue payback for his hustle

LaRavia started his fifth straight game, filling Smart’s role as the primary on-ball defender. LaRavia has had his ups and downs this season, both as a shooter and while being overtaxed in that primary stopper role. Still, Redick praised his progress after the last game, and he was a key part of the effort that led to a rare Mitchell off night.

Benjamin Royer
@thebenroyer
I asked Lakers coach JJ Redick last night about Jake LaRavia’s defensive growth from Day One of 25-26 to now.

“His execution of what we’re trying to do and what his role is, going back to December, has been at such a high level. The coaching staff loves him and we trust him.”

12:43 PM · Mar 31, 2026 · 5.52K Views
1 Reply · 3 Reposts · 25 Likes

One thing that hasn’t wavered in LaRavia’s game is his hustle and effort. And last night, it was finally rewarded with a very solid offensive output as well.

After more than a month without scoring in double figures and not making more than one three in a game, LaRavia hit both of his threes, went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, scored 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, added a steal, and even threw down a poster dunk over Allen.

5-Lakers at their best when the blender is ON

As much as Dončić’s individual brilliance is fun to watch, the Lakers’ offense reaches another gear when there is more pace, movement, and multiple actions that shift the defense by changing the side and angle of attack.

With Dončić, James, Reaves, and even Kennard, the Lakers have multiple threats who can start the “blender” or keep the advantage alive with their drive-and-kick game once it’s on. There were several possessions last night when the Lakers punished the Cavs’ tired legs and their unwillingness to make the third, fourth, or even fifth effort on defense.

It’s worth noting that two of the three possessions I clipped came out of timeouts, where Redick and his staff showcased their X’s and O’s acumen and ability to press different breaking points.

However, in games against the best teams, like the two upcoming matchups with the Thunder, the Lakers will need to incorporate elements of their ATO sets into their regular offense as well, especially the pace and strong-to-weakside attack shifts. The best defenses are too good otherwise, unless Dončić and co. have an outlier shotmaking performance. Which, based on how things have been going lately, is also not out of the realm of possibility.

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