austin reaves

PHOENIX — Two nights after losing to the Orlando Magic in a heartbreaker, the Lakers focused on trying to beat a Phoenix Suns team missing key players.

In the end, the result was the same — disappointment.

The Lakers lost 113-110 after Austin Reaves missed a three-pointer as time expired, the Suns coming up with the clutch shot on Royce O’Neale‘s three with nine-tenths of a second left to send the Lakers to their third consecutive loss Thursday night.

On the final play, Marcus Smart inbounded the ball and LeBron James and Maxi Kleber set a double-screen to get Reaves open. Reaves floated to the corner and took a cross-court pass but his shot bounced off the rim, sending the Lakers to another loss despite Luka Doncic‘s 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair before the Suns built a 12-point lead with 6:28 left. The Lakers quickly recovered and tied the score on a Reaves three-pointer with one minute left. O’Neale scored on an offensive rebound to give the Suns a 110-108 lead before James scored on a put-back to tie the score.

The Suns then called a timeout to set up O’Neale’s winning shot.

Phoenix, which had lost six of eight, played without All-Star guard Devin Booker (right hip strain), Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) and Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain).

Still, the Lakers (34-24) knew the Suns (34-26) would play hard and throw up a lot of three-pointers — Phoenix shot 22 for 50 from three-point range.

When the Lakers went up by three early in the fourth, things looked good. But then the Suns went on a 13-3 run.

Lakers coach JJ Redick was forced to call a timeout after Oso Ighodaro rolled in for an uncontested dunk, putting the Lakers down 96-86 with 7:43 left.

The Lakers went down by 10 points in the second quarter, but took a two-point lead late in the quarter on a Reaves three-pointer. But Grayson Allen scored on a layup to tie the score 49-49 at halftime.

The Lakers opened a 13-point lead in the third quarter, but ended up tied 80-80 entering the fourth.

Allen carried the Suns in the third, scoring 16 points. He missed just one of his shots and just one of his five three-pointers in the third.

James finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. Reaves scored 14 points and Smart had 13 points.

The Lakers lost to Orlando on Tuesday by one point on a botched play when Doncic didn’t shoot a three-pointer and instead passed the ball to James, who missed a last-second three-point attempt.

It was a tough way for the Lakers to end their eight-game homestand, going 4-4 over that stretch.

Redick was asked if it is easy to move on after a tough loss.

“Well, I think that’s not in general,” Redick said. “I think there are specific times throughout the season where you talk about what just happened, more than just your normal review. You’re not going to do that after every game. So, we had a great practice and meeting on Monday after the Boston game and you don’t need to belabor every single loss.”

ETC.

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura didn’t play against the Suns because of an illness, the team said. But backup center Jaxson Hayes, who missed the last game with right ankle soreness, played 21 minutes against the Suns, finishing with eight points and three rebounds.

All of the current Lakers realized that playing against the Boston Celtics on national television really was more than just one of 82 games on the schedule.

It was crystallized even more because iconic former Lakers coach Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue on the Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena. He was the first Lakers coach to beat the hated Celtics for an NBA championship after eight failed attempts.

So, yes, on this Sunday afternoon, this game meant more if only because it was another game in the long rivalry, a game the Lakers lost, 111-89.

Luka Doncic had 25 points for the Lakers but he was just nine for 22 from the field. LeBron James had 20 points but was just nine for 21 from the field.

It was the second time this season the Lakers scored in the 80s, and that also was a loss.

For a team that entered the game shooting a league-best 50% from the field, it was not a good sign for the Lakers’ offense when their shooting slipped to 36.8% in the second quarter. They shot 39.1% for the game and 30% (nine for 30) from three-point range.

“We had some really good looks,” James said. “I think they had a good game plan defensively, forcing us to take some shots … I mean listen, sometimes you got to make shots. And they made timely shots and we didn’t. We didn’t give ourselves a good chance on the offensive end. I think defensively, we held serve as long as we could. But offensively, we didn’t give ourselves a good chance.”

It was obvious the Lakers felt the intensity of the rivalry when Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart received technical fouls in the second quarter and coach JJ Redick got one in the third.

They were unhappy with the officiating that didn’t go their way against an aggressive Celtics defense.

Perhaps, it was posed to Doncic, the Lakers lost some focus on offense because of the complaints that led to the T’s.

“Maybe. …You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?” he said. “Then you know it’s bad.”

Doncic laughed.

But what was of real concern for the Lakers was trying to deal with the Celtics and their three-point shooters.

The Celtics (37-19) entered the game tossing up 42.4 threes per game, the third-highest output in the NBA, and making 15.4 of them, also the third-highest.

On cue, the Celtics shot 14 for 36 from three-point range.

The Lakers (34-22) fell behind by 18 points with 4:46 left in the fourth quarter after Jaylen Brown was fouled while scoring. He made the free throw and then followed that with a three-pointer to put the Lakers in a 21-point hole.

Brown finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

But the real problem for the Lakers was not being able to slow down Payton Pritchard. He had 30 points off the bench, making 10 of 14 shots and six of nine three-pointers.

His three-pointer gave the Celtics a 22-point lead and forced Redick to call a timeout with 3:22 left. Redick pulled his starters, knowing it was over.

“You talk about the personnel and how good Jaylen Brown has been and how good Payton Pritchard has been,” Redick said. “Really where this team kills you is when they can get you in the blender and take catch-and-shoot threes. They can shoot 51 of them and they’re going to make 20. They’re that good. Trying to limit that is the biggest thing when you play these guys. And you have to be willing to live with contested off-the-dribble jumpers. Pritchard made a lot of them tonight. He played a great game.”

James said he watched some of the Riley ceremony that took place at halftime.

James played for the Miami Heat for four years under the watchful eye of Riley. The Heat went to four NBA Finals and won two championships.

Riley left an indelible impression on James.

“I got out there for a little bit, sat on the bench during halftime before our meeting,” James said. “Listen, he’s one of the all-time greats to ever have been a part of this league. Not only player — coach, executive, front office, everything. Obviously what he did here for the Lakers organization in the ‘80s goes without saying and rightfully so, him having a statue outside his building. Obviously I spent four years with him. I have the utmost respect for him, for his family and everything. So, it’s pretty cool.”

For just the 11th time in 55 games this season, the Lakers had Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves sharing the court together.

They are the core of the Lakers, the engines that make this team go, but health issues have prevented them from playing together for far too much of the 2025-26 campaign.

During their first game since the NBA All-Star break, Doncic, Reaves and James carried the the Lakers to a 125-122 win over the Clippers Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic had 38 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates after Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) was called for an offensive foul Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Reaves had 29 points, six assists and made a big defensive play late in the game.

And James had 13 points and 11 assists, his fifth straight game with 10 or more assists.

Up 118-115 with 1:49 left, Reaves took drew a charge on Bennedict Mathurin, the Clipper’s sixth foul that sent him to the bench with 26 points.

Still, the Lakers didn’t escape until Doncic made two free throws with 21.2 seconds left to give the Lakers a five-point lead that barely stood.

With a 125-122 lead and the ball, James threw a dangerous cross-court pass intended for Doncic that Nicolas Batum instead stole.

But Batum missed a potential game-tying three-pointer and James got the rebound to secure the win.

The Lakers put two defenders on Kawhi Leonard, double teaming the Clippers’ best offensive weapon, keeping a crowd of defenders around him, especially when they employed their zone defense.

Leonard was giving it to the Lakers, but he left late in the fourth quarter with left ankle soreness, departing with 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said pre-game that Leonard is back to being a force on both sides of the basketball.

That’s why so much of the Lakers’ gameplan centered around trying to slow down Leonard, who is eighth in the NBA in scoring (27.8) and tied for first in steals (2.0).

“He’s more consistently taking the tougher assignments right now, and he’s back to being just an elite two-way player on both ends of the floor,” Redick said. “And you know, he’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now for the last two months, whatever the starting point would be, but it really is on both sides of the ball.”

Leonard is a primary reason why the Clippers are still rolling despite having traded away two key pieces in guard James Harden and center Ivicia Zubac.

The Clippers started the season 6-21, looking nothing like a playoff team.

But then they beat the Lakers on Dec. 20 and that got the Clippers rolling to a 21-7 stretch entering Friday night’s game, a two-month period that saw them get to one game under .500.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said none of the Clippers ever gave up on the season, adding they were always “playing to win” no matter whether they had “young, old, toddlers” on the court.

“I just feel confident,” Lue said. “I just feel confident in our players, confident in our coaching staff and I just feel confident in the environment and the culture that we’ve set. Why wouldn’t we want to play to win? That’s our mindset. That’s my mindset every single night. As tough as it may be or you start 6-21 whatever it may be, you’re playing to win. So, we make it to the playoffs and anything can happen. So our goal is to make it to the playoffs. I don’t know why somebody would scoff at that.”

Even with essentially his entire starting lineup unavailable because of injuries, Lakers coach JJ Redick still looked forward to competing against a worthy opponent in the San Antonio Spurs.

Even facing a Spurs team with the second-best record in the Western Conference without LeBron James (left foot arthritis), Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain), Austin Reaves (left calf injury), Marcus Smart (right ankle) and Deandre Ayton (right knee soreness), Redick still wanted his group to compete at a high level.

It’s just that Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama competed at a level the Lakers were unable to reach, the 7-foot-4 center dominating with his season-high-tying 40 points to go along with 12 rebounds in just 26 minutes during San Antonio’s easy 136-108 win Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Wembanyama had 25 points in the first quarter alone and 37 by halftime.

“I know right now we have to contend with him and he’s one of the five best players in the world,” Redick said. “He’s put that stamp on himself. It’s more than counting the stats with him, because there is such an avoidance of him defensively and there is an awareness you have from him defensively.”

Luke Kennard had 14 points and five assists, Drew Timme had 14 points and Bronny James had 12 points and six assists for the Lakers (32-21).

For LeBron James, missing the game meant the Lakers’ All-Star became ineligible for NBA postseason awards, ending his streak of making the All-NBA team at 21 seasons. The league’s threshold to be eligible for postseason awards is 65 games. The most James can reach is 64 if he does not sit out another game.

James, playing in his NBA-record 23rd season, missed the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, making it difficult to meet the threshold.

Redick said James has been “dealing with the history of injuries he’s had and to start the year.”

“Just depends on how he wakes up the next day and as he goes through his treatment in the morning,” Redick added. “But we ruled him out.”

Doncic missed his third straight game with his injury. The Lakers next play Thursday night here against the Mavericks, Doncic’s former team. Redick said Doncic was listed as “day to day” when asked if his All-Star would play against the Mavericks.

Doncic, the leading-vote getter for Sunday’s All-Star Game, has been working out and playing some five-on-five action to get ready.

“Luka continues to progress,” Redick said.

Before playing in the last four games, Reaves had missed the previous 19 with his calf injury.

Redick said Reaves “was coming back from a tissue injury” and was “only going to play in one of these games.”

Lakers forward Drew Timme tries to fend off Spurs guard Dylan Harper in the first half.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Redick said Smart tweaked his ankle in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game and had a “pretty high level of soreness” when he woke up Tuesday.

Ayton had been listed as questionable and was being called a game-time decision before the game because Redick said Ayton is dealing with “his knee again.”

So, it was left up to the rest of the healthy Lakers to deal with Wembanyama and the Spurs.

The Lakers lost on Monday night to the Thunder, the defending NBA champions, who also have the best record in the league, and then had this back-to-back game against the tough Spurs.

“He makes me feel like a normal size dude,” Timme, who is 6-0, said laughing. “It’s crazy. But I mean, it’s that size, coordination and athleticism, it’s crazy. I mean, he’s really one of a kind. What they call him, the ‘Alien?’ Like, he’s a really good player. A lot of times people are like, ‘Well, if I had that height or if I had that…’ I mean, he has that but he also has the skill. I mean, he’s a really skilled, talented player and I think that’s why he’s so good. There’s a lot of tall players that can’t do that and I think that’s what really separates him.”

In the eyes of Lakers coach JJ Redick, every team his group faces is a test. Still, many wondered if the Lakers’ litmus test would come from facing the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

Even with All-Star and league most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out with a strained abdominal, the Thunder are still a problem for most of the league. And the Lakers had to play OKC with their own MVP candidate, Luka Doncic, sitting out for the second straight game with a left hamstring strain.

In the end, the Thunder had seven players score in double figures and pulled out a 119-110 win over the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers (32-19) had six players score in double figures, but it wasn’t enough.

LeBron James had 22 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, Marcus Smart had 19 points, Austin Reaves 16 off the bench, Jake LaRavia 14 and Rui Hachimura and Jaxon Hayes both had 12 points.

Reaves gave the Lakers a 99-98 lead on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter.

But the Thunder just kept coming back, taking a 109-101 lead by outscoring the Lakers 11-2.

The Lakers, too, kept fighting back, getting to within 113-110 on a Hachimura basket.

But Jalen Williams, who had 23 points in his return to the lineup, kept scoring for the Thunder, making a field goal, two free throws with 35.9 seconds left and two more with 20.9 seconds left that sealed the game.

Thunder guard Kenrich Williams is double teamed by Luke Kennard and Jarred Vanderbilt in the first half.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Reaves provided the fans with a big-time highlight, driving down the lane and throwing down a two-handed dunk on Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins to end the first quarter.

The Lakers had 20 turnovers the last time they played at Oklahoma City in a game L.A. got down by as much as 37 points before losing by 29.

So, one point of emphasis for the Lakers was taking care of the basketball and then playing a high level of basketball despite the opponent.

“For our group, it felt like it’s good to see where we’re at every single night,” Redick said.

His team spent the entire first half climbing out of a hole.

The Lakers were down by just one at the end of the first quarter, but quickly got down 52-38 early in the second quarter.

But behind a James dunk over Chet Holmgren, the Lakers got to within two points in the second, drawing cheers from the fans.

But the Lakers couldn’t keep up that momentum, going down 67-58 at the half.

Then in the third quarter, the Lakers got rolling and opened an eight-point lead behind a strong defense and good offense.

But again, the Thunder didn’t stop playing hard, coming back to open a 93-91 lead at the end of the third quarter on an Alex Caruso three-pointer.