FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to finish the second half of the season strong and secure a favorable spot in the playoffs. However, it has been an up-and-down year for Los Angeles. For LeBron James, the bigger picture is his potential options this offseason.

“Cleveland is one of them. I’m not sure I’d put the Heat on the list. Golden State depending on how things go would be one. There’s a place of two that I won’t say right now that I’m keeping my eye on… I have a team or two that I think he could consider going to and I have researched the concept and I will continue to keep my eye on the concept,” Brian Windhorst said on the Rich Eisen Show.

If this is indeed his final season, James wants to be part of a contender.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” James’ agent Rich Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”

On the court, head coach JJ Redick believes the Lakers need to share the ball more to maximize their potential.

“That’s, again, it’s something we talk about all the time. We’re a better basketball team. We win more games if we have more potential assists. And get more assists,” Redick said after a loss to the Boston Celtics.

With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and James on the floor, ball movement shouldn’t be an issue. Yet, for some reason, the ball is sticking in one spot longer than usual when the Lakers are dropping games.

When all three stars are working together and moving the ball effectively, the Lakers become a formidable force. The team’s main challenge is finding consistency in connecting with one another on the court.

The next time JayJay takes any personal accountability for these failures will be the first time he does it. That’s why I love Rams Head Coach Sean McVay’s coaching style. He constantly protects his team and says he & his staff needs to do better. JayJay should reach out to him…

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Lakers blitzed to a hot 15-4 start to the season that included some impressive wins. They managed to hand the Spurs their second loss of the season and stole a win against the Blazers while extremely shorthanded in a game where Nick Smith emerged as the unlikely hero.

This start is now all but forgotten. Although they’re 34-22, they’re essentially in a five-way tie for third place in the West. What differentiates them from that morass is that they’re the only ones without a positive net rating. The consensus view on them is that they’re not a true title contender due to their lack of defensive personnel.

There are a couple of positives to take away from that start. Austin Reaves has emerged as an All-Star-level player who complements Luka Doncic similarly to how Kyrie Irving did in Dallas. Also, JJ Redick continues to consistently dig deep in the rotation for solutions to get the Lakers playing above their weight. At the very least, he’s proven to be a strong floor-raising coach, and that’s valuable for a team with as many flaws as this Lakers roster has.

The trade deadline passed without a move to address their lack of rim protection or point-of-attack defenders. In most years, there are high expectations for the Lakers to do something at the trade deadline and improve the roster before being mostly inactive. This year was the first time in a while that there was an expectation that the Lakers would likely stand pat despite having a superstar in his prime.

The lone Lakers trade this month was acquiring Luke Kennard from the Hawks for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick. The sharpshooter is yet another weapon for one of the more lethal offensive teams when fully healthy. But acquiring a player who might not play more than 8 minutes in a playoff game, when Doncic and Reaves are likely getting close to 40 a night, doesn’t raise their title odds. It felt like a move made just for the sake of making one.

The Lakers were able to make this trade due to their limited assets. They were only able to trade one first-round pick and one second-round pick ahead of the trade deadline. They now have zero second-round picks, largely fueled by trading three for Dorian Finney-Smith and one to get off Jalen Hood-Schifino last season.

It’s been telegraphed for nearly a year now that the Lakers are keeping their powder dry and maximizing cap flexibility to reshape the roster. The acquisition of Doncic renewed their present and future, but the rest of the roster wasn’t equipped for him. Their quickest path to acquiring the best types of players to surround him with is with cap space.

Yes.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Instead of a statement win, another statement loss.

This was supposed to be the night when the Lakers showed they could do it. That they could beat the best teams.

Fully healthy. Biggest rival. National TV. The unveiling of Pat Riley’s statue before the game. Instead of a Showtime flashback in front of its architect, the Lakers delivered another no-show.

This was another disappointing blowout, a 111–89 loss to the Boston Celtics, in a season defined by uncompetitive performances against elite opponents. The Lakers looked overmatched again, adding another entry to a long list of noncompetitive breakdowns against the league’s best. A list that includes losses to the Boston Celtics twice, the Oklahoma City Thunder twice, the San Antonio Spurs twice, as well as the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Today’s notes:

Failure of shotmaking and lack of backup solutions

Base defense good enough, attention to detail not

High-profile Luka breakdowns, low-profile strong point-of-attack defense (VIDEO)

When shots and calls don’t go the Lakers’ way

Ayton and Smart low-floor games

1-Failure of shotmaking and lack of backup solutions

If you want a simple reason why the Lakers lost this one, it’s shotmaking. They followed up one of their best offensive games of the season against the Clippers with one of their worst against the Celtics, posting a 45.3 percent effective field goal percentage, their second-worst mark of the season.

Lakers lowest scoring outputs this season (source: Cleaning the Glass)

None of their three stars had a good shooting night. Neither did the role players. The Lakers never found any offensive rhythm, which suggests the diagnosis might be more complicated than simply saying the shots didn’t fall.

In the preview, I highlighted Boston’s clarity of vision. Last night was system versus star power, and system won. The Lakers, for the most part, rely on their three stars to win games through talent and shotmaking. But on off nights, they do not have the cohesion or the system to bail them out.

Boston, like the Suns and the Spurs before them, opened the game in a conservative drop scheme, aiming to contain the Lakers’ stars in one-on-one and two-on-two situations. The Lakers’ three stars took turns trying to crack it, but they simply did not make enough shots to force Joe Mazzulla into adjustments or push the Celtics out of their comfort zone.

Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves combined to shoot 22 of 53, just 41.5 percent. Dončić could not find his touch inside the arc, especially in the in-between spaces that are so crucial against drop coverage. James missed a couple of layups and went 1 of 5 from three. Reaves had an odd, low-usage night where his opportunities were far too rare, and he struggled to convert when he did get them.

Again, sometimes it really can be as simple as making enough shots to force adjustments. But we have seen the Lakers get sucked into a your-turn, my-turn style of attack against this coverage too many times not to recognize the pattern. When the individual approach is not working, they need a better systemic response.

2-Base defense good enough, attention to detail not

If there is one silver lining, it is this: the defense was not the main culprit. Against one of the league’s most efficient offenses, the Lakers were competitive on that end. As Redick put it, “We did enough defensively…we were just awful offensively tonight.”

The problem for the Lakers was that because the offense was so pedestrian, their margin for error became razor thin. They could not afford even the smallest breakdowns. And unfortunately, they had a few.

One of the key points in the scouting report against Boston is that they crash the glass from the wings. Yet the Lakers still gave up a couple of costly offensive rebounds that led to dagger threes from Payton Pritchard. They also had a few transition breakdowns, failing to contain the ball and giving up easy baskets. In a game played in the trenches, those details make all the difference.

3-High-profile Luka breakdowns, low-profile strong point-of-attack defense (VIDEO)

Luka Dončić’s defensive performance was the epitome of the Lakers’ good-effort, costly-couple-of-mistakes game. Poor shotmaking and a couple of high-profile breakdowns, arguing a missed call and of course being called out by Reggie Miller for not running back to prevent a layup, are always going to be part of the Luka discourse whenever Miller calls his games. Getting caught off guard by Hugo González’s cut on a sideline out-of-bounds play was the much bigger breakdown.

It is unfortunate because this was otherwise a very good defensive game by Luka Dončić. In my view, he was the best Laker last night when it came to staying in front of Boston’s two main scoring threats, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard. Brown shot 2 of 9 on attempts defended by Dončić, compared to 8 of 19 against everyone else. Overall, Boston shot 7 of 19 (37 percent) with Dončić as the closest defender.

The Lakers needed Dončić to be the best shotmaker, and he wasn’t. Pritchard got that title, at least for one night. But Dončić at least showed Redick a reference point for what he can be when locked in defensively, especially in terms of staying in front of the ball.

4-When shots and calls don’t go the Lakers’ way

If the Lakers got a couple of favorable breaks in their last game, they ended up on the wrong side of a few missed calls in this one.

A couple of missed offensive fouls on push-offs by Brown and Pritchard resulted in open buckets. A missed Brown elbow on a drive against Smart. And two obvious goaltends that were not called, one of them leaving Redick in disbelief even after the game, worse, turning into a big five-point swing. All of that culminated in visible frustration and three technical fouls assessed to Reaves, Smart, and Redick.

Dan Woike
@DanWoikeSports
Luka Dončić was asked about the Lakers’ three techs for arguing calls Sunday. “You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?” he replied. “Then you know it’s bad.”
7:55 PM · Feb 22, 2026 · 8.32K Views
12 Reposts · 250 Likes

The Lakers managed to battle through missed shots and bad breaks in the first half, but as both continued in the second, it felt like they lost the composure and confidence to keep fighting, and the game turned into another collapse. Another recurring theme in their defeats against elite teams.

5-Ayton and Smart low-floor games

When the Lakers finally got fully healthy and rolled out Smart and Ayton in the starting unit alongside their big three in Game 55, the general consensus was that this was the long-overdue right move. However, last night we saw that even if this is probably the best option, there is a downside to relying so heavily on two players who were signed on the cheap off the buyout market in the summer. The Lakers’ three stars struggling to score was the main problem, but the other two starters scoring just four points on 2-of-13 shooting provided little of the much-needed relief.

Smart has been a feel-good story, staying relatively healthy and making an impact with his hustle and defense. But the floor of his bad games is very low. This was the second game this season in which he played more than 20 minutes and failed to score. Smart has had several huge moments, coming up big in key stretches, including the win against the Clippers. But there have also been plenty of nights when he simply cannot buy a bucket, and teams start to disregard him. Boston even defended him with a center in the fourth quarter, which made life even more difficult for the primary creators.

If Smart has ups and downs, with Ayton it feels like the low- or no-impact games have become the norm over the last couple of months. I don’t know if it’s a lack of touches, involvement, or just confidence, but even the element of his game that made Ayton a success early in the season — his elite touch — seems to have deserted him lately. He’s missing the short hooks and floaters that were automatic early in the season, and when those shots are not falling, the other parts of his game tend to crumble as well. Last night, that meant being outworked on the glass by Neemias Queta, who posted 12 rebounds, four offensive boards, and three blocks, while Ayton managed just one rejection. Ayton’s low-energy night was even more problematic because the other big man, Jaxson Hayes, played only five first-quarter minutes before leaving the game with an ankle injury. And the Lakers, especially Dončić, really missed his preferred lob partner to make the Celtics’ big men more uncomfortable in drop coverage.

JJ Redick is right. The Lakers played good enough defense to win but the offense was just terrible, primarily due to the Celtics physicality and the zebras complicity. Fools can continue to think that the Luka, LeBron, and Austin Big Three can somehow become the offensive…— LakerTom (@LakerTom) February 23, 2026

Better off putting higher energy players in the starting 5. swap Vando or even Nick Smith Jr. for Smart and Hayes for Ayton. Let them opt out and don’t let the door hit them on the way out. I’m done with both Ayton and Smart. The positives just can’t outweigh the negatives and we’re not trying to develop players who might be here longer. They got a chance, Smart is by far the better of the two, but it’s less and less of a mystery why he was traded and Boston instantly won a title. Both dudes get in their own heads and their own way. I’ll be quite happy if they prove me wrong. Don’t think they will.

Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard COOKED the Lakers in the Celtics’ 111-89 blowout win in LA 🤯JB:☘️32 points☘️8 rebounds☘️7 assists10-of-28 FG3-of-9 3PT9-of-12 FTPP:🔥30 points🔥8 assists🔥4 rebounds 10-of-14 FG6-of-9 3PT4-of-4 FT pic.twitter.com/biuB2rjTs9— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 23, 2026

Final: Celtics 111, Lakers 89LA is blown out against another elite opponent. They're 8-4 with the Big 3 — with the four losses coming against the four best teams they've played and all by double digits. They drop to 34-22 and No. 6 in the West.Up next: vs. ORL on Tuesday.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 23, 2026

I just don’t know what to say about this team. Very frustrating.

What a moment for Pat Riley 🥹The 4x champion in LA has become the first @Lakers coach with a statue! https://t.co/dJgeAAC3bY pic.twitter.com/PXh7GafuZj— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2026

Pat Riley's statue has been unveiled in Los Angeles!9 years. 7 finals. 4 championships.Congrats to the Godfather of Showtime 👏 pic.twitter.com/QvwBuGuvGZ— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2026

Somehow Pat was the toughest Laker last night…weak.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Los Angeles Lakers worked quickly to replace Tim Harris after it was reported he would be leaving his post as president of business operations at the end of the season. They went with Lon Rosen, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the L.A. Dodgers, in another step towards Mark Walter making the Lakers his own operation.

Rosen has been in his position with the Dodgers since 2012, and has overseen successful operations on the business side as the team has seen unprecedented success on the field. They have routinely increased year-to-year revenue while being the MLB leaders in attendance in nearly every year of his tenure.

Now, the newest top decision-maker for the Lakers’ business operations side gave his statement on joining the purple and gold, expressing his thanks while outlining his goals.

“I’m beyond grateful to Jeanie and Mark for trusting me with this incredible opportunity,” said Rosen. “As everyone knows, the economics of the sports business are constantly changing – and they will continue to do so.

“But, at root, my job is a simple one: figuring out how to do right by our employees and our partners while ensuring that the Lakers continue to provide an unparalleled experience for our fans in Los Angeles and around the world. I look forward to working alongside Jeanie, Rob and the whole front-office team to make that happen.”

Walter took over as the majority owner of the Lakers earlier this season and has already begun making changes to try and replicate the Dodgers’ success in downtown L.A. However, it is clear that — at least for the near future — Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are going to remain heavily involved.

Rosen thanked both Pelinka, the general manager, and Buss, the team governor, in his statement. This is yet another indication that Walter is sticking with the two of them as primary figureheads in the organization.

Jeanie Buss believes her father would approve of Lakers sale to Walter
There has been significant drama within the Buss family and the Lakers organization over the decision to sell the team to Walter. All reports claim that Jeanie was the tie-breaking vote to sell after years of being reluctant to do so.

But she believes that her father, the late legend Dr. Jerry Buss, would have approved of selling the team to Walter. That allowed her to feel okay about changing her vote and letting the team be sold for a record $10 billion valuation.

We won. I definitely think that elbow to LBJ took the 2nd half away. Hope he can play next game!

And Reaves is just as potent as a floor-spacing release valve Austin took a total of 9 dribbles in the 7 total possessions clipped (4 possessions in the quoted clip and 3 possessions in this clip)Scoring 18 points on 9 total dribbles is ridiculous efficiency https://t.co/9VEtMrZiha pic.twitter.com/maJ0AGhe8o— LAbound (@LAbound2) February 21, 2026

Final: Lakers 125, Clippers 122LA improves to 34-21. They remain No. 5 in the West. Luka had 38 points and 11 assists. Austin Reaves had 29 points and 6 rebounds. LeBron had 13 points and 11 assists. Huge reps for LA's new starting group down stretch.Up next: vs. BOS on Sun.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 21, 2026

127.7 ORTG with both on the court. That’d be by far the best team ORTG in the league.107.7 DRTG with both on the court. That’d be the 2nd best team DRTG in the league.They were just as dominant as 2 man lineup last year too. This is 100% a championship duo to build around. https://t.co/4h7GdccqVq— ⭐️🚨 (@HoodiiLuka) February 21, 2026

AUSTIN REAVES TONIGHT 🌟 32 minutes 🌟 29 points 🌟 6 rebounds 🌟 2 assists 🌟 4/5 3PTAR ISN’T EVEN 100% 😳 pic.twitter.com/t4lwASo91Y— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) February 21, 2026

Luka Doncic GOES OFF for 38 PTS, 6 REB, 11 AST, 3 STL, 8 3PM as the Lakers get the 122-125 WIN over the Clippers 🔥Austin Reaves: 29 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 80% 3PT pic.twitter.com/SawYyXv5TX— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) February 21, 2026

Final Stats 📊Luka: 38 pts, 6 reb, 11 astAR: 29 pts, 6 rebLeBron: 13 pts, 3 reb, 11 astDA: 13 pts, 7 reb pic.twitter.com/AqQ5yQyFoz— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 21, 2026

Luka was SENSATIONAL in the Lakers win!🪄 38 PTS🪄 6 REB🪄 11 AST🪄 3 STL🪄 8 3PM pic.twitter.com/YuRAIhywB3— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2026

Luka was SENSATIONAL in the Lakers win!🪄 38 PTS🪄 6 REB🪄 11 AST🪄 3 STL🪄 8 3PM pic.twitter.com/YuRAIhywB3— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2026

MARCUS SMART TONIGHT 🧠 29 minutes 🧠 7 points 🧠 2 rebounds 🧠 2 stocks🧠 3/4 FGMR. CLUTCH 😤 pic.twitter.com/MxGHwjPLyu— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) February 21, 2026

SO MUCH FOR EVERYBODY HEALTHY VIBE…LMAO!

LeBron James (left knee soreness) has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game vs. the Clippers.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 20, 2026

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

After what felt like the longest eight-day midseason break, Lakers basketball is finally back. The pause is over, and now comes a very busy stretch, less than two months packed with games until the end of the regular season. The Lakers will play 28 games in 52 days after the break, including five back-to-backs.

Because of snow in Vienna, I am stuck at Oslo airport with time to kill. The upside is that I got extra time to watch Clippers–Nuggets, so you get a slightly more extensive preview today.

The key storyline going into this restart is the health of Luka Dončić and the state of his hamstring. JJ Redick confirmed that both Dončić and Austin Reaves had a full practice yesterday. Both were back in their usual playful and upbeat mood, and more importantly, the Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the post All-Star stretch fully healthy for the first time this season. That is something we simply have not seen so far.

The first opponent out of the break is the familiar one. The Los Angeles Clippers. The cross-town rivals took the last two meetings after the Lakers won the first matchup of the season, so there is a score to settle.

But this is not the same Clippers team the Lakers saw before the break. The deadline reshaped them in a surprising way. James Harden is now running the show in Cleveland, and Ivica Zubac is headed to Indiana as the future pick-and-roll partner for Tyrese Haliburton. The three-headed beast the Lakers dealt with in previous matchups no longer exists. The Clippers will also be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so we will see what that means for the availability of Kawhi Leonard. However, these new Clippers should not be taken lightly. They are in the middle of a surge. Since moving two of their top three players, they have beaten three Western Conference contenders: the Nuggets, the Rockets, and the Timberwolves.

Regardless, this preview is more about the Lakers than it is about the opponent. If they want to change the narrative and be viewed as a real threat in the West, now fully healthy, they need to make a serious run. It should start tonight with a win.

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Lakers (33-21) vs Clippers (27-28) game facts
Rest: LAL on 8 days of rest; LAC on 0 days of rest

Ranking: LAL 15th in Point Diff (-0.2), LAC 18th in Point Diff (-0.9)

LAL vs LAC 2025-26 record: 1-2 (see Game 17 observations here, see Game 27 observations here, see Game 43 observations here )

LAL injuries: none

LAC injuries: Darius Garland (OUT), Bradley Beal (OUT). Additional updates expected later due to back-to-back.

LAL projected starting five: Luka Dončić (G), Marcus Smart (G), Austin Reaves (G), LeBron James (F), Deandre Ayton (C)

LAL key reserves: Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Luke Kennard

LAC projected starting five: Kris Dunn (G), Derrick Jones Jr. (F), Kawhi Leonard (F), John Collins (F), Brook Lopez (C)

LAC key reserves: Bennedict Mathurin, Jordan Miller, Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, Kobe Sanders

LAC rotation:

Key storyline: What does the starting five and rotation look like when fully healthy?
Games after a long layoff are always tricky, so we will see which team is in better rhythm and plays with more energy. A rested and possibly rusty Lakers team, or a bit tired but maybe in-rhythm Clippers.

The first thing to watch for the Lakers will be the starting lineup. I assume Austin Reaves will be off his minutes restriction and back in the starting group, likely replacing Jake LaRavia. I have written a lot about the Lakers’ lineups and the possible post All-Star tweaks to find the best combinations around the star trio.

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
If Marcus Smart is the fifth starter, the Lakers need to start building continuity with this group. The lineup of Luka Dončić, Reaves, Smart, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton has played only 26 possessions together so far this season.

How the rest of the rotation looks, and especially the sub patterns of the three stars, will be just as interesting as the starting group. With Luke Kennard in the mix, the Los Angeles Lakers now have a more balanced bench. Two shooters in Kennard and Rui Hachimura. Two defensive-minded wings in Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt. And a lob-catching big in Jaxson Hayes.

Lakers on offense | Clippers on defense

The Clippers will miss Harden’s playmaking, especially with Darius Garland still not available. Defensively, however, they are much tougher on the perimeter.

Kris Dunn is one of the most physical and pesky defenders in the league. His matchups with Dončić are always on the edge, often one whistle away from boiling over. Derrick Jones Jr. is another strong point-of-attack defender who can pressure the ball and chase over screens. With those two handling primary assignments, Leonard can operate as a roaming help defender, using his length to jump passing lanes and create chaos.

No Ivica Zubac is where the opportunity lies for the Lakers. Thirty-seven-year-old Brook Lopez, who played 31 minutes last night, does not have the foot speed to stay in front of Dončić, and even less so in front of Reaves in space. His backup, rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser, has only 35 games under his belt. We will see whether Ty Lue decides to trap the Lakers’ ball handlers or go small for extended stretches. Whatever the coverage, the center position, once an area of strength, is now a pressure point. That is where the Lakers must attack. We have seen Deandre Ayton dominate lesser frontcourts on several occasions this season, so this could be a real opportunity for him to regain some lost confidence and restart on a strong note.

The center spot might be the only real hole in an otherwise very aggressive Clippers defense. Over the last few games, Dunn, Leonard and co. have forced turnovers at a league-best rate and allowed just 102, 102, and 96 points in matchups against the Rockets twice and the Timberwolves. That same defense held Nikola Jokić to 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting last night in a win over the Denver Nuggets. Ball control and limiting turnovers, could once again be the deciding factor for the Lakers, who have had their share of struggles this season against highly aggressive perimeter defenses.

Clippers on offense | Lakers on defense

Without Harden and with Garland still out, the Clippers do not have a true point guard or natural on-ball organizer to run the offense. Leonard is playing at an incredibly high level, most recently highlighted by his 31-point outburst in 12 minutes at the All-Star Game. But he is not the type of player who will consistently organize the offense and create for others the way Harden did.

Not only do the Clippers lack playmaking, but without Harden and Zubac, the team that used to be difficult to defend because it had three different pressure points is now much easier to scheme against. In the last game before the break, the Rockets doubled and blitzed Leonard from the start, holding him to just eight points through three quarters before he exploded for 19 in the final period. Houston also mixed in zone, which created real problems for the Clippers’ offense, especially in the minutes Leonard was on the bench. The Nuggets also sent two defenders at Leonard for most of the game last night, while also playing zone in the second half.

I would expect a similar plan from the Lakers. Send early doubles at Leonard and force others to beat you. Especially because they will likely challenge Dunn and Jones Jr., two players with reputations as unreliable shooters, to prove they can consistently make them pay. The Clippers are not a good passing team, so scrambling defense or zone that forces quick decisions and extra passes is another way to test them.

The X-factor could be the newly acquired scoring forward Bennedict Mathurin. The 23-year-old is a talented but inconsistent scorer who can either shoot you out of a game or win one on his own, as he showed last night with a 38-point outburst against the Denver Nuggets.

Final thoughts
The Lakers should not underestimate this version of the Clippers. They may no longer have Harden or Zubac, but they are younger, longer, more athletic, and back to playing scrappy defense reminiscent of the team that finished third in defensive rating last season.

Unlike many teams in a similar position, they have no incentive to tank. Their wins against the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves attest to that. That should be enough of a warning to start the post-break stretch fully motivated and focused from the opening tip.