Luke Kennard in the last 2 games:🎯 27 PTS🎯 4 REB🎯 8 AST🎯 50% FG🎯 58% 3P🎯 +31HE’S A HOOPER. pic.twitter.com/D8xjmraW9G— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) March 2, 2026

Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves both turning around before Luke Kennard even shot the ball knowing it was going in lol pic.twitter.com/4cUvusDcYO— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) March 2, 2026

Luke Kennard says he loves being a Laker and does it with pride 🥹“I’ve loved it. Playing for the Lakers, it’s the highest level. Wearing that across your chest, you take pride in that.” pic.twitter.com/q8szCj9EYW— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 2, 2026

WHAT A DIME FROM LUKA TO LUKE KENNARD!!!!The best 3-PT shooter in the league being this open is UNFAIR 😭😭pic.twitter.com/K2uw1Ce8Rm— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 2, 2026

If there is a positive trend from Lakers recent otherwise so-so post All-Star stretch is passing and taking care of the ball.Luka at 9.0 assists and only 2.0 turnovers per game in last 6 games. LeBron at 6.5 assists, 2.8 turnovers. Lakers at 11.7% TOV rate, 2nd best in NBA. https://t.co/nCNLWCS90t— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) March 2, 2026

WHAT A DIME FROM LUKA TO LUKE KENNARD!!!!The best 3-PT shooter in the league being this open is UNFAIR 😭😭pic.twitter.com/K2uw1Ce8Rm— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 2, 2026

Come for the Maxi poster, stay for the bench reaction 😤 pic.twitter.com/SlnMKMV2I9— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 2, 2026

WHY IS MAXI OUT HERE MOVING LIKE THIS ALL OF A SUDDEN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8AeFsfdxHi— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 2, 2026

Maxi Kleber said he feels his teammates reactions from the bench in his big plays like his two posters Sunday in win vs. SAC:“Every time I do something, you know, you look to the bench, everybody's celebrating. So obviously it's good push for me, good push for the team.” pic.twitter.com/gMgQ6YlxNA— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) March 2, 2026

Luka Doncic with 28 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK as the Lakers get the BLOWOUT WIN over the Kings 🔥LeBron James: 24 PTS, 5 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK 😤 pic.twitter.com/v1VhQWMV80— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) March 2, 2026

LUKA DONCIC IN HIS LAST 3 GAMES:31.7 PPG57% FG50% 3PM8.3 APG🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/q4wffZuQD3— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 2, 2026

Final: Lakers 128, Kings 104LA wins its second straight game, improving to 36-24. They're just a half-game back of Denver for the No. 5 seed (and play them twice over the next two weeks). Luka had 28/5/9. LeBron had 24 points. The Lakers hit 18 3s.Up next: vs. NOP on Tues.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 2, 2026

Luka Doncic tonight vs Kings28 Points9 Assists5 Rebounds10/16 FG4 Threes +18 🪄 pic.twitter.com/rkrsMkqsUe— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) March 2, 2026

Final Stats 📊Luka: 28 pts, 5 reb, 9 astLeBron: 24 pts, 5 astAR: 12 pts, 5 astDA: 12 pts, 4 reb, 6-6 FGLuke: 11 pts, 5 ast pic.twitter.com/9fNTdpvlic— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 2, 2026

WHAT A DIME FROM LUKA TO LUKE KENNARD!!!!The best 3-PT shooter in the league being this open is UNFAIR 😭😭pic.twitter.com/K2uw1Ce8Rm— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 2, 2026

LeBron James has led the Lakers in assists 8 of the last 11 games.One of the best playmakers in the world. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/BTXBHUTAgX— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) March 2, 2026

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Lakers put out the fire, win convincingly

The Lakers righted the ship. After three consecutive losses, they got a much-needed win and restored some positive energy. Doing it on Luka Dončić’s 27th birthday only added more good vibes to the team that needed them badly.

Source: Los Angeles Lakers post on X

The team they beat, the Warriors without Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, was not particularly impressive, although this same group beat the Nuggets recently. But the manner in which the Lakers did it was. They won 129–101 in a wire-to-wire blowout, building a 30-point lead in the third quarter that allowed JJ Redick to keep all of his players under 30 minutes. That is not insignificant, with the Kings waiting on the second night of a back-to-back.

Today’s notes:

A balanced three-headed attack (VIDEO)

Luke Kennard, the missing ingredient in the blender (VIDEO)

The other end of the three-point variance stick

Another look at the tweaked rotations

Looking ahead to a busy March

1-A balanced three-headed attack (VIDEO)

The lack of offensive rhythm, especially chemistry between the three stars, has been one of the main talking points during this recent slump. At least for one night, the Lakers’ trio put that aside. You could feel the emphasis on ball movement and a more balanced attack. Austin Reaves, who has often been the one squeezed out, came out aggressive, scoring 11 points in the first quarter without missing a shot.

Once Reaves took a breather (more on the new rotations later), LeBron James took over. James, who has struggled from three this season at just 31 percent, knocked down his first four attempts from deep and scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half.

Then, to open the third quarter, Dončić, who had a quiet 10-point, six-assist first half, put his foot on the gas. He essentially put the Warriors away with absurd shotmaking, drilling four threes in less than five minutes.

Despite all the other concerns, the Lakers showed that when all three of their stars are on their game, especially when the ball is moving, they can still overpower teams with sheer talent. They scored at a rate of 140 points per 100 possessions against a top-10 defense.

2-Luke Kennard, the missing ingredient in the blender (VIDEO)

When the Lakers traded for Kennard at the deadline, it opened the possibility for Redick to lean even further into an all-offense approach, adding more shooting and spacing around his three primary ball handlers.

Last night was an example of how effective that can be. Kennard knocked down four threes and provided a much-needed punch off the bench with 16 points. But more than his outside shot, it is his drive-and-kick game, the way he keeps the defense on its heels, that has impressed the most in his short Lakers tenure. Postgame, Redick praised Kennard, saying, “He just starts the blender for us,” describing him as someone who is very adept at maintaining an advantage, whether by driving to score or driving and kicking out. Another term Redick used for it was connective offense.

One of the knocks on Kennard has been that he is not quite a high-volume three-point shooter, at least not for someone as deadly as he is. His unselfishness and his ability to punish defenses that chase him off the line are part of the reason. It is also what distinguishes him from more static spacing options like Rui Hachimura or Dorian Finney-Smith.

3-The other end of the three-point variance stick

The Lakers faced two undermanned opponents in their last two games, both missing their top two scoring options. The Suns and the Warriors have tried to compensate for that talent deficit by turning games into high-volume, high-variance three-point shootouts. Both teams took more than half of their shots from beyond the arc.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

But while Grayson Allen, Collin Gillespie, and the Suns punished nearly every poor rotation and late closeout from the Lakers, the Warriors could not buy a three early, no matter how clean the look. The Warriors made only five of their 24 three-point attempts in the first half.

And while their pace, constant movement, and trademark split cuts were often too much for the Lakers’ shaky defense to handle, their shotmaking was nowhere near enough to match the Lakers, who hit 46 percent from deep. Dončić, James, and Kennard each buried four, with LaRavia chipping in three more.

4-Another look at the tweaked rotations

The Lakers’ ongoing search for the best way to deploy their star trio, and the underwhelming lineup data when Dončić, James, and Reaves share the floor, has recently shifted from a niche topic discussed by Lakers analysts and data enthusiasts like me to a broader national conversation.

In my last lineup deep dive, I floated one possible tweak for Redick: longer Dončić–Reaves stretches, balanced by more minutes with James running the offense while the other two sit.

Lakers Lineups Deep Dive: A Testing Ground for the Summer Rebuild
Iztok Franko
·
Feb 18

Lakers Lineups Deep Dive: A Testing Ground for the Summer Rebuild
I’m traveling this week, enjoying Norway and its icy cold winter, with tons of snow and long cross-country skiing sessions. I actually planned to take a full week off from content. But I couldn’t help myself. Somewhere between climbs on the cross-country skis and trying not to freeze my face off, I found my mind drifting back to the Lakers.

Read full story

That is exactly how Redick and his staff have tweaked the rotations over the last two games. You can see longer Dončić–Reaves stretches with James off the floor, marked by the orange blocks, followed by light green James-only units, and no purple Reaves–James lineups with Dončić sitting.

Source: pbp stats

One other minor wrinkle we saw last night was a brief stretch of Maxi Kleber at the five in the second quarter. Kleber looked great in his 13 minutes, recording three blocks and finishing twice at the rim off passes from James, including one dunk.

5-Looking ahead to a busy March

The Lakers are heading into a very busy March, with 17 games in 31 days, including four back-to-backs. The first of those concludes tonight when they host the lowly Kings, who have won only three times in their last 20 games at Crypto.com Arena.

Source: NBA official website

The Lakers have to handle their business tonight and in the upcoming games against two other cellar-dwellers, the Pelicans and the Pacers, over the next four games.

After that, the March schedule gets much tougher, with several games against direct rivals in the standings, two against the Nuggets, two against the Rockets, and one against the Timberwolves. Add to that three matchups with Eastern Conference powerhouses, the Pistons, Knicks, and Cavaliers, all of whom have already beaten the Lakers this season.

The Lakers have played some uninspiring basketball, going 6–6 in February. However, Redick has expressed confidence that they can still change course over the remainder of the season if everyone stays healthy.

Source: Lakers Nation post on X

One convincing win is a good start, but it certainly won’t erase the doubts that have accumulated over the course of the season. To truly shift the narrative, the Lakers will need to make a real stand in the upcoming games against their key rivals, and ideally leapfrog some of them in the standings.

🔥 Lakers 129, Warriors 101. LA finally snaps its three-game losing streak with a dominant performance over Golden State. Luka Dončić: 26 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. LeBron James: 22 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Austin Reaves: 18 points. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/xj7Vg71jhv— Giovanni Rossi (@spawnix) March 1, 2026

THE LAKERS DOMINATE THE WARRIORS TO GET A MUCH-NEEDED WIN 🙏The Lakers were firing on ALL cylinders tonight, led by Birthday Luka and LeBron 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JaFFfeOorD— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 1, 2026

Luka gets the birthday W as the Lakers blow out the shorthanded Warriors 🎂 pic.twitter.com/v1WyEN3bER— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2026

🔍 LAKERS CRUSH WARRIORS 129-101 🟣💥Final: Lakers 129 – Warriors 101!Luka Dončić 26 PTS (birthday special 🔥)LeBron James 22 PTS / 9 AST / 7 REBAustin Reaves 18 PTSDominant wire-to-wire win 👀 Lake Show back! #NBA #Lakers #Warriors #LakeShow(Via ESPN / NBA) https://t.co/nOpj9TWepc pic.twitter.com/YV7ABY8uak— GTrends Daily (@GTrendsNow) March 1, 2026

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their third straight game on Thursday night, and head coach JJ Redick admitted the team made an effort to play LeBron James more without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The coach is reacting to the team’s struggles when the three stars play together, and the reality that his team only wins the minutes with James when he is by himself. It forced a switch that didn’t quite pay immediate dividends.

The star trio is still trying to figure things out. LeBron was injured to start the year, and Doncic and Reaves have missed time since LBJ returned. The King admitted they need better health to get things figured out down the stretch, so it should be no surprise that coach Redick is still searching for answers.

The numbers don’t lie. The Lakers are best with Doncic and Reaves sharing the floor this season. Their next best grouping is LeBron without the other stars. Coach Redick admitted he tried to lean into those numbers against the Suns and found a lineup that worked in the process.

JJ Redick wanted to play LeBron James more without his other stars

The talk of the trio not working has reached the national discourse. The Lakers have a negative-7.8 net rating when their three stars play together, according to Databallr. They are plus 8.8 with just LeBron on the floor, and plus 17.9 when Doncic and Reaves share the court.

After the tough loss in Phoenix, coach Redick had this to say when asked about what worked offensively.

“I think that lineup that we played tonight. I don’t know if it was our first time playing it, but it was something we talked about pregame. Letting Luka and AR play longer together. Letting LeBron play on his own for a little bit. There were seven minutes of that Jake, Luke, AR, Luka, and Jaxson lineup, and that was a good lineup for us tonight.”

The coach saw success. Luka had 41 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists as the Lakers won his 39 minutes by nine points. Reaves played 36 minutes and was also a plus-nine. LeBron was plus-five in his 35 on the floor. If the Lakers can’t make the Big 3 work together, Redick is wise to stagger in the most effective ways.

There is no avoiding playing them together when all three are playing 35-plus minutes every night. The Lakers had been using LeBron and Reaves more and letting Luka run the show solo. They’ve won the minutes with just Doncic by 5.3 points per 100 possessions this season, but lost the LeBron and AR time by 4.5.

This is a LeBron problem. The Lakers are fine with just Luka, just AR, or Luka and Reaves. They have sadly only found success with James when he plays solo. LeBron is arguably the GOAT, so he must figure things out. He can play with anyone. It is all about finding the right ways and making it so their porous defense can tread water.

The Los Angeles Lakers still have a LeBron James problem to solve. Head coach JJ Redick is already taking steps to mitigate the issue. Fans should expect to see more solo LeBron lineups moving forward, but the Lakers must figure out how to thrive with their Big 3. If not, it will be a quick postseason exit and nothing but disappointment in Hollywood.

It’s time for the Lakers to start Jaxson Hayes at centerAyton is undoubtedly better when he tries but I just can’t rely on a 27 year old grown man who needs “crunk juice to unleash the beast” and sees effort as optional pic.twitter.com/7WPO3e6Dzm— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) February 27, 2026

Lakers center rotation +/- ratings since 2026 began:Deandre Ayton -58 (2nd worst on team)Jaxson Hayes +55 (best on team)Maxi Kleber -1I don't love the +/- stat but you can't overlook the clear issue here— JSM (@JSMonYT) February 27, 2026

If Ayton gets benched then they might as well just pull the plug entirely and just send him home. His history has shown that he can be the type of dude who will disrupt the whole locker room at the worst possible time. It’s a tricky tightrope to walk.

This team has big issues that a simple tweak in rotations ain’t gonna solve..

I was visibly frustrated when he couldn’t get the ball across the timeline when nobody was guarding him. Absurd.