Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers were game for a half, in both effort and (general) execution. In the second half, at least one of those things stopped. The Lakers were held to 17 third quarter points, which allowed Sacramento to turn a reasonable four point lead at the half into a far more comfortable 15 point cushion heading into the final period. The offense for LA really cratered as the game went along, scoring only 17 points in the third. Individual performances weren't much to write home about...

The Lakers have struggled with the Kings for a while now, and a big part of that is the success Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis has had against Anthony Davis. Why has Sabonis (who certainly has success against... most everyone) fared so well against A.D...

Remember when the Lakers had a terrible, terrible offense, and the only way they could score was in transition or at the free throw line? Well, that's not an issue anymore. The Lakers have, particularly since reconfiguring the starting lineup (again), been one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. In every category that matters, and it's not something fueled by what some critics call "junk" offense. (Meaning, living at the line...

Minnesota came into Sunday's game against the Lakers at the Crypt down two of their bigs - Karl Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert. That meant Anthony Davis was in position to, and NEEDED to, dominate. And dominate he did. AD's final line—27 points, 25 rebounds, five assists, seven steals—is one that has never been posted before. Nobody has ever had 25 points, 25 rebounds, five dimes and five assists. Not in one game, at least. And just for fun, he finished only two blocks shy of a 5x5...

Well, that was improbable, and it was amazing. Playing without LeBron James, and with a one-armed Anthony Davis (who hurt his left shoulder early in the second half, but finished the game despite not being able to lift his left arm in any meaningful way) the Lakers registered a 123-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference...

There was A LOT to unpack following Wednesday's epic, and extremely costly, collapse against the Sacramento Kings at the Crypt, one that fundamentally changed the arc of the season for the Lakers. A win didn't guarantee anything, but would have been a big boost to aspirations of finishing higher in the Western Conference, whether at the good end of the play in bracket, or even moving up to a top six position. With that loss, those dreams are basically shot...

The Lakers didn't just lose to Sacramento by 10 at home Wednesday night at the Crypt. They played almost the exact opposite game as the other night against Oklahoma City, getting up by as much as 19 in the first quarter before giving up the lead and much, much more. It's the basketball embodiment of the "How it started, how it's going" meme. By the time the game reached the half, the Lakers were down 15, and never put it back into single digits...

The Lakers may not have been playing truly inspired basketball, the kind that gets fans and media fired up and primed for the postseason, but they have, save that putrid stretch following the In-Season Tournament, won more than they've lost. Now, coming off a very impressive home win over the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers face another test against a playoff-caliber team...

For about six minutes Monday night at the Crypt, it looked like the Lakers were in a world of trouble, hosting the West-best Oklahoma City Thunder. But then they stopped turning the ball over (or at least not as much), started hitting some shots, moving the ball, and most importantly, playing some high level defense. By the 1:32 mark of the first quarter, the game was tied, and from there the Lakers never trailed. By halftime, they were up nine...

Saturday's loss to Denver was a frustrating one for Lakers fans (and Lakers players, and Lakers coaches) because it followed a pattern that has been well-established in games between LA and Denver - namely one where the Lakers play well, stay close, and then get totally outclassed in the final five minutes of the game...