Imagine if the Lakers could turn Rui and Luke from guys who take 4 3-point shots per game to volume shooters who take 8 threes per game. That’s the next step to creating spacing and a positive 3-point differential with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Brian Windhorst on the Lakers without LeBron:“When LeBron doesn’t play and Austin Reaves and Luka do, the Lakers are a better team… The numbers say when Luka and Reaves play together, the Lakers are a really good team”(Via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/wrtmEWsnAd— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 9, 2026

Are the Lakers better WITHOUT LeBron? 🤔They’re 9-2 this season with both Luka and AR but no LeBron… and they’ve beaten the Spurs, Timberwolves, and Knicks 👀 pic.twitter.com/JtyVlm6CvE— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 8, 2026

The Lakers aren’t better without LeBron — but Reaves should be the second option pic.twitter.com/jc4oNt870T— Hoops Tonight (@hoopstonite) March 9, 2026

Better ball security has been a big reason why the Lakers have been able to increase their 3-point takes and makes. During the last 6 game streak the Lakers have taken over 37 threes per games versus less than 30 for the six preceding games.

The reason the Lakers beat the Knicks was they destroyed them from deep. Lakers last 6 games have been a top five offense and defense. Everybody’s getting touches and shots and playing defense. JJ Redick has finally pulled everything together at a point where it was frankly unexpected.

One thing everybody has to realize is that all of these guys without contracts are suddenly highly motivated. Lakers will pay to keep Rui if he keeps shooting threes like that. Same with Luke. Lakers suddenly seeing team come together like this may change some decisions this summer.

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.

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

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Luka Dončić‘s defense is often a hotly-discussed topic, but the strides he’s made are suddenly not being mentioned.

While being the star of the Lakers can make you the face of the NBA, it also brings a lot of scrutiny.

Even before his time in Los Angeles, Luka Dončić was no stranger to being viewed under a microscope. But this season with the purple and gold has taken it to another level.

While Luka’s interactions with officials have been the main focus for seemingly every talking head associated with the NBA, his defense has been the secondary talking point.

In an era of social media, clips of Luka’s defense, or lack thereof in most cases, it’s pretty easily for a faux pas to spread like wildfire across Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok or wherever else people are doom scrolling. And to be clear, Luka has not been good on that end of the floor more often than not to start the year.

However, he’s also taken steps forward defensively in recent games, ones his coaches have noticed. Social media, unsurprisingly, is still catching up on those narratives, though.

“I think he’s had really good stretches for games, sustainable stretches for games,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said, “and then there’s seems to be a game every now and then where just the engagement and effort is not there. There’s times within a game that there’s maybe one or two possessions, but I would say across the board on our team, outside of maybe Marcus Smart, that the case for our guys on that end of the floor.

“We have the numbers. When he switches onto the ball, it’s the lowest of any of our perimeter guys in terms of points per possession. I think he’s done a good job. He’s shown that he can contain the basketball. He’s obviously one of the best wing defensive rebounders in the NBA. He’s able to generate steals and deflections. So, with some prodding, he’s taking charges as well. He’s doing a lot of good things defensively.”

Defense is always hard to quantify or measure. There are numbers that exist, as Redick mentioned, but they aren’t as easily accessible or as easily understood as simpler offensive stats. There is no points or rebounds or assists equivalent for defense.

Where defense is most noticeable is when it doesn’t happen. When Luka gets blown by or is caught ball-watching, it’s easy to see. But when he’s making the correct read in terms of help defense or is following the scouting report, it’s much harder to even know, let alone see.

All of that context is too much for those aforementioned talking heads to dive into, though. It’s easier to just repeatedly shout about Luka being a bad defender and not actually watch games. Nor do they care to properly contextualize how much he’s doing offensively to lift the Lakers as well. No, no. It’s easier to scream that Luka is complaining to the refs.

But let me step off my soapbox.

Luka is a special, special player. Everyone can see that. In an era where everything is scrutinized, his flaws get a disproportionate amount of focus relative to what he’s so great at.

And even then, those flaws, like his defense, are coming around in recent games. Not that the talking heads care to take notice.

Luka took a beating across all media after that Denver game. Mostly because of his constant chirping to the refs but also his defense (or lack thereof). He had to come back hard last night and show a better effort. But night in & night out he’s not even an average defender

LAKERS 6-GAME PROVE-IT-OR-LOSE-IT STRETCH!Sun, 3/8, Beat KnicksTue, 3/10, Beat TimberwolvesThu, 3/12, Beat BullsSat, 3/14, Beat NuggetsMon, 3/16, Beat RocketsWed, 3/18 Beat RocketsLakers continue to campaign to turn their offense into a juggernaut, averaging more than 30… https://t.co/wPN65FFfiV— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 7, 2026

I wrote about this in my game observations: Lakers now tied for 1st place with Denver in shooting (at 57.3% eFG%).After slow start, they are 4th in the NBA in 3P% since Feb 1st. Two top guys in volume, Dončić and Smart at 40% and 39% from 3 in 2026. Kennard at 53% helps as… https://t.co/liWCD2tQyw pic.twitter.com/cRyWJFajBC— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) March 7, 2026

Only Team we lost to was a good one. Beat 4 not-so-good? : (