Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where everyone needs to catch up on sleep.
Despite arriving in Boston and Philadelphia at 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and with some players not falling asleep until 4 a.m., the Lakers salvaged a 2-1 record during their difficult three-game, four-day Eastern Conference road trip. With wins over Toronto and the 76ers, the Lakers (17-6) maintained second place in the West entering the knockout stage of NBA Cup action.
When your job requires so much travel, everyone develops their own hacks. Travel-sized skin-care products hate to see me coming. For Jaxson Hayes, it’s a meticulously planned two-and-a-half-hour nap before every game.
Luka Doncic, for one, could have used one of those this week.
He’s a girl(s) dad
Doncic rubbed his weary eyes, ran his hands through his hair and blinked hard as he tried to piece together the details of the last week. New parents know the feeling.
After missing two games while in his native Slovenia for the birth of his second daughter, Doncic rejoined the team Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Doncic posted a photo on social media of new baby Olivia wearing a pink sweater with a heart emoji covering her face.
In his typically reserved way, Doncic is private about his family life, but he carries constant reminders with him. He designed a pink colorway of his signature sneaker in honor of his first daughter, Gabriela. When he presented his autobiographical slideshow to the team earlier this year, he named Gabriela, born in 2023, as the person who changed his life. From writing “Gabriela” on his shoes for games, Doncic inscribed a small G and O with a heart on his shoes Sunday.
“Two girls, they’re going to make my life hell for sure, I know that,” Doncic half-joked. “I’m going to be their security after I retire. All jokes aside, it’s the best thing in the world. I’m just blessed.”
Doncic thanked the Lakers for allowing him to spend time with his family during a major life milestone during the season and his manager Lara Beth Seger for helping him set up the travel. He left L.A. on Monday after the Lakers finished back-to-back games against the Phoenix Suns, flying 12 hours to Slovenia, which is nine hours ahead of L.A.
It was a roller coaster, Doncic said. With a relieved smile, he added: “But it was worth it.”
As a father of two boys, coach JJ Redick understands. When his youngest son Kai was born, Redick handled night duty, feeding and changing the baby for almost two months before the season began. He called it “one of the coolest experiences of my life.”
“[I] somehow came to the gym every day with more energy than I thought was possible despite sleeping in two-hour segments for five or six hours,” Redick said before the game. “So hopefully it would be [the same] with Luka.”
Doncic didn’t miss a beat. He recorded his second triple-double of the season with 31 points, 11 assists and 15 rebounds.
Clutch gene
After LeBron James’ fourth-quarter heroics on Sunday, the Lakers are 8-0 in clutch games, which the NBA defines as within five points inside the final five minutes. They’re the only undefeated team in clutch games, besting even the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers have also played the third fewest clutch minutes in the league and are tied for the second fewest clutch games. When they’re good, they’re really good, blowing out the struggling New Orleans Pelicans or the Dallas Mavericks. When they’re bad, they’re also really bad. Don’t forget the losses to Atlanta, Oklahoma City or Phoenix.
The Lakers have just a plus-2.2 point differential per game, the smallest margin of victory of any team in the top six of either conference. It’s a precarious way to live for a team that hopes to win a championship. The luck may run out soon. Or maybe the Lakers will show that it’s truly a sustainable skill they possess as a group.
But the ability to thrive among chaos is still valuable for the second-place team in the West.
“Most of those games, there have been moments where we could break,” Redick said. “We talk about bending but not breaking all the time.”
The Lakers won both of their games during this road trip in clutch fashion. James was at the center of both wins, firing the game-winning assist to Rui Hachimura against Toronto, then scoring 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia. As James racked up 10 consecutive points in the fourth, center Deandre Ayton, sensing the superstar’s powers rising, stopped celebrating the big shots because he wanted to make sure he could enjoy the show.
“Clutch gene,” Ayton said. “Felt like a movie.”
Ayton could earn a nomination for best supporting actor for his work. Not only was he a perfect seven-for-seven from the field for 14 points, but he had 12 rebounds (10 defensive) with a steal and a block. Redick, who cited defense as the team’s biggest concern entering the three-game trip, praised Ayton for being disruptive in drop coverage, his hustle for loose balls and his willingness to switch onto 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey.
“Whatever we needed him to do on that end of the floor in the second half, he was great,” Redick said.
The Lakers are first in defensive rating in clutch minutes. The team that Redick said was “basically average to slightly below average” on defense has an 85.7 defensive rating in clutch minutes compared with the overall 116.2 rating that ranks 20th in the league.
After giving up 60 points in the first half, the Lakers held Philadelphia to 48 in the second, and Maxey, who entered the game ranked third in the NBA in scoring, had just five points on two-for-six shooting in the fourth quarter.
On tap
Dec. 10 vs. Spurs (16-7), 7 p.m. PDT, NBA Cup quarterfinals
The Spurs won the most competitive Cup group with an impressive 139-136 win over the Denver Nuggets without Victor Wembanyama, who has been out for three weeks with a calf injury. The star Frenchman could return in time for the knockout round game.
If the Lakers win, they will play the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Oklahoma City and Phoenix in the West semifinals in Las Vegas at 6 p.m. on Dec. 13. The final is at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 16.
If the Lakers lose, they will play the loser of Oklahoma City-Phoenix in a regular season game on Dec. 11, 12, 14 or 15.
Status report
By popular demand, we’ll start including a brief update on the Lakers’ current injury status.
Marcus Smart: back
The guard’s back issue has lingered for two weeks, but he could return in time for Wednesday’s NBA Cup game, Redick said. The injury progressed from back spasms after the game against the Clippers to “lower back injury management” to “left lumbar muscle strain.”
LeBron James: “old”
James missed the game against Boston because of right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis. The soon-to-be 41-year-old has yet to play in back-to-back games this season, but Redick said the hope is that he will eventually. After missing the first 14 games because of right sciatica, the left foot injury designation cropped up after the Lakers’ NBA Cup win over the Dallas Mavericks. When asked about it, James didn’t seem particularly worried: “It’s called old,” he deadpanned.
Favorite thing I ate this week
The momo platter from Momo Ghar in Toronto. From left to right, the chili momo tossed in a spicy, savory sauce; the tandoori momo; the kurkure (breaded) momo; and the steamed momo.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
I understand the Toronto hype. The city that everyone told me was the best in the NBA delivered despite bitter cold and snow flurries. Walking 25 minutes in below-freezing temperatures to Momo Ghar in Cabbagetown was well worth it for the momo sampler. The platter featured these Tibetan dumplings tossed in a sweet and savory chili sauce, a tandoori sauce, breaded and deep fried and steamed.
And because I love a sweet treat, I ordered mango creme brulee for dessert. The cardamom spiced cream had me wanting to start an alternative life in Toronto.
In case you missed it
LeBron James crowns himself King after sparking Lakers’ late surge in win over 76ers
Lakers star Luka Doncic might play Sunday after birth of second child
With Luka Doncic and LeBron James out, Lakers lose in blowout to Celtics
LeBron James’ record scoring streak ends, but Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura deliver win
‘A lot of slices of pizza left’: Where the Lakers stand after 20 games
Former Laker Elden Campbell, known for his effortless style, dies at 57
Until next time…
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