FINAL: #Lakers 100 #Rockets 92LA is 43-25. The #LakeShow is on a roll! 6 straight wins. Defense turned it up in the 2nd half, holding KD to ZERO! (Until the final seconds). They forced 24 turnovers. Luka led the way with 36. LeBron had 18. LA is beating all the teams that…— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) March 17, 2026

FINAL: #Lakers 100 #Rockets 92LA is 43-25. The #LakeShow is on a roll! 6 straight wins. Defense turned it up in the 2nd half, holding KD to ZERO! (Until the final seconds). They forced 24 turnovers. Luka led the way with 36. LeBron had 18. LA is beating all the teams that…— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) March 17, 2026

We NEED to talk about this Lakers defense 🔒Anthony Edwards: 2/15 FGJamal Murray: 1/14 FGKevin Durant: 7 TO pic.twitter.com/ooo0ofYBRL— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 17, 2026

"LeBron aún no ha decidido si seguirá jugando. La opinión general, tanto en torno a LeBron como en la liga, es que jugará al menos una temporada más. El resultado final de Lakers será un factor determinante en el futuro de LeBron."-Shams Charania pic.twitter.com/G4wU1Ral5M— YostinNBA (@YostinNBA) March 16, 2026

Take the horrible idea of expansion out of the equation, Lebron’s not anywhere near rich enough to even hold a minority ownership role unless it’s purely symbolic. Throw in all the toes he and his team have stepped on along the way, and I doubt he’s ever approved.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Adou Thiero is dominating the G League.
The Los Angeles Lakers have only given Adou Thiero 106 minutes of NBA action as a rookie, but the dominant performances in the G League should be making head coach JJ Redick reconsider. The purple and gold have won five straight and are gearing up for the playoffs. They lack athleticism and versatile defenders, which could be the exact area where the rookie steps in. It would be a difficult leap to make in year one, but the 21-year-old is quickly proving too good for the developmental league.

Over his nine games with the South Bay Lakers, Thiero averaged 15.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 21.8 minutes per contest. He is shooting 62.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent on his 3-point tries. The 6’7 wing has been a two-way force, and looks like he’d fit perfectly off the bench in LA.

Coach Redick made it clear this is a development year for Thiero. He won’t get much time with the Lakers, but his impressive play should be changing that. The Lakers want to contend and need a variety of options to win four playoff series. Giving Thiero a shot may quickly provide dividends and fill a hole in LA’s roster. The rookie is proving he’s ready, and coach Redick can’t ignore him forever.

Adou Thiero’s G League performance is getting the Lakers’ attention

The rookie has struggled to stay healthy. He missed all of summer league recovering from a late-season injury and has dealt with multiple problems during his rookie season. The Lakers are bringing him along slowly, but his minutes are slowly trending up in the G League.

It could be the perfect time to try him in a minimal bench role to gauge his impact. His athleticism, defense, and versatility could be significant. The Lakers have a crowded wing room with Jarred Vanderbilt currently out of the rotation, but Thiero could quickly pass him and others by continuing to make shots. LA needs true 3-and-D options. The rookie has fit the bill in the G League and is improving daily.

Austin Reaves made the Lakers’ focus crystal clear after Saturday’s massive win over the Nuggets. They want to compete for a championship right now. Against a young athletic squad like the Thunder or Spurs, the purple and gold could use a springy 6’7 wing to get stops. Thiero is their only hope to fill that role.

Redick is against trying this, but his story may quickly change in the postseason. Nobody wants that to be Thiero’s first real opportunity. He has virtually only played in NBA garbage time as a rookie. The Lakers should throw him a few games now to see what they’ve got. His G League play proves that, even if the franchise refuses to accept this reality.

Los Angeles Lakers fans should be excited about Adou Thiero’s future. Rob Pelinka traded up to acquire him, and his strong G League returns suggest the franchise may have found something. He must make shots to fit next to Luka Doncic.

So far, so good. Now, it is all about proving it at the NBA level. Head coach JJ Redick can’t ignore Thiero forever. Expect the youngster to make the most of his shot whenever it comes.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

#6
Los Angeles Lakers

Last Week:10↑
Record: 42-25

OffRtg: 116.9 (8)
DefRtg: 115.9 (20)
NetRtg: +1.1 (15)
Pace: 99.4 (20)

The Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season and have won eight of their last nine games. They are alone in third place in the Western Conference.

Three takeaways:

Nine days ago, the Lakers had lost 12 of their last 13 games against the top 10 teams in the league. But they’ve now won three straight, holding the Knicks, Wolves and Nuggets (offenses that rank third, 12th and first, respectively) to just 107.5 points per 100 possessions over those three games. That has them, finally, out of the bottom 10 on defense for the season.

Luka Dončić leads the league in usage rate (36.4%), and it’s been higher (38.5%) as he’s averaged 38.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists over the Lakers’ five-game winning streak. He’s shot 41.4% from 3-point range over his last 27 games, up from just 31.6% through his first 28, though he went inside the arc for the overtime game-winner against the Nuggets on Saturday. That was just his first field goal attempt to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime this season.

The context with the Lakers’ improvement over the last few weeks is that they’ve played 15 of their last 18 games at home, and they’ll now embark on a six-game road trip. They don’t have nearly as big a home-road differential as they did last season (the biggest in the league), but they are just 7-10 on the road since mid-December.

Coming up: The trip begins with two huge games in Houston, with the Lakers having been clobbered by the Rockets in the first meeting (on Christmas). Then it’s on to Miami, where LeBron James is just 6-17 (2-4 with the Lakers) as a visitor.

Week 22: @ HOU, @ HOU, @ MIA, @ ORL

1. Thunder
2. Spurs
3. Celtics
4. Pistons
5. Knicks
6. Lakers
7. Nuggets
8. Rockets
9. Cavaliers
10. Timberwolves
11. Magic
12. Raptors
13. Suns
14. Heat
15. Clippers