Lakers center Deandre Ayton shoots over the Timberwolves’ defense on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
With 33 missed shots between both teams in the first quarter, Deandre Ayton certainly had plenty of opportunities for rebounds, and the 7-foot center made the most of them.
Ayton almost single-handedly kept the Lakers in contention in the first half, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second quarter and had a first-half double-double with 11 rebounds.
Ayton, who was scoreless in the first quarter but had six rebounds, scored three of his first four baskets off offensive rebounds. The only exception came when Reaves drove in the lane, wrapped a pass around his back as he found Ayton cutting down the lane for a vicious two-handed dunk. The crowd roared.
“He was a monster,” said Reaves, who had 31 points and eight assists. “… He was the only person scoring for us efficiently and then just being high energy on the other end, just doing what he does. That’s what we need him to do. When he does that, we’re a different team and we’re thankful to have him.”
Ayton’s effort has waned throughout the season, sometimes resulting in him getting benched late in games. But he provided major lifts in marquee wins against the Knicks (six points, eight rebounds) and Timberwolves to earn the confidence and trust of his teammates.
The Lakers needed Ayton at his best after backup centers Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) were ruled out of the game about 15 minutes before tip-off. Hayes was starring in his reserve role in recent weeks, bringing much-needed energy off the bench and a seamless connection with Doncic, but hearing that Ayton would have to hold down the front line by himself gave the former No. 1 draft pick extra motivation.
“I know I’m the only big,” Ayton said, “so I try my best to stay out there as long as possible, especially down the stretch.”
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, left, dives for a loose ball next to Knicks forward OG Anunoby in the first half Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Hayes crawled across the floor for loose balls. Marcus Smart stepped in front of driving opponents. Jarred Vanderbilt leaped into the laps of front-row fans.
With energy and focus from every player, the Lakers delivered one of their best defensive efforts of the season despite circumstances that could have made Sunday’s game a snoozer.
The Lakers were playing their third game in four days. Losing an hour of sleep because of daylight saving time had Rui Hachimura sleepwalking into the arena Sunday morning for a 12:30 p.m. tip. Hoping to wake himself up, the Lakers forward said he got into the hot tub when he arrived.
Players tried to hype themselves up in the locker room by blasting music. Instead of listing three defensive keys before the game, coaches whittled the game plan to one focus: multiple efforts.
“It wasn’t gonna be an offensive game,” coach JJ Redick said. “This was gonna be a gritty, tough game that we had to win with effort. And we did that.”
Smart led that effort with a game-high plus-27 in 29 minutes and 17 seconds. He drew two charges. His signature moment didn’t even show up in the game play-by-play. After Luka Doncic turned the ball over with 2.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Smart hustled back to force Jordan Clarkson to pass the ball at the buzzer, keeping the Knicks from getting a last-second layup attempt. Smart walked to the bench with his arms extended like a defensive back who had just broken up a touchdown pass.
The Knicks were held to less than 100 points for only the seventh time and had their fourth-worst three-point shooting performance of the season, going eight for 34. The Lakers went nearly five minutes without scoring in the fourth quarter, but held on by forcing eight turnovers.
“It was not a perfect game,” said Doncic, who led the Lakers with 35 points on 11-for-25 shooting. “But we fight at the defensive end. I think we did a great job. It says a lot about the team, bringing this much energy in a game like this.”
Luka Doncic scored 44 points despite not playing the fourth quarter, and the Lakers defeated the struggling Indiana Pacers 128-117 on Friday night with LeBron James and Deandre Ayton out because of injury.
Doncic showcased his offensive wizardry, joining Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West as the only players in Lakers history to record at least 40 points in a season 10 times.
Doncic was 14 for 25 from the field, seven for 14 from three-point range and nine for 10 from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds and five assists.
“I always want to be productive. But it’s just next-man-up mentality,” Doncic said. “We have great guys on the bench. So, they help us win this game.”
He had 22 points on seven-for-nine shooting in the first quarter, making all five of his three-pointers. It marked the fifth time in his career he scored at least 20 in the first quarter.
“I felt great,” Doncic said. “I felt like I had my legs working. But definitely needed to win this game, so we came out aggressive.”
The Lakers led 64-51 at halftime and Doncic had 29 points.
Doncic ended the third quarter by banking in a three-pointer with 5.3 seconds left and then pointing to his teammates on the bench. The shot gave the Lakers a 19-point lead.
“He can make every shot,” coach JJ Redick said. “I mean, he can make a step-back, left-wing bank shot that line drives and barely goes above the rim. He can make floaters. He can make floaters going left, right. He’s a shot-maker, but he’s also a playmaker.”
Doncic also had a solid game on defense, recording three steals and two blocks.
“I know people are not going to talk about it,” Doncic said. “So, I’m just trying to do my job, trying to be more aggressive, be more engaged. So, just trying to do better defensively.”
Luka Doncic shoots a three-pointer over Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker in the first half Friday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Austin Reaves had 19 points and five assists before fouling out with 4:58 left. Luke Kennard had 15 points and Rui Hachimura scored 13 points as the Lakers (38-25) bounced back from a tough loss at Denver on Thursday.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana (15-48) with 26 points, five rebounds and three assists.
James did not play after sustaining a left elbow injury against the Nuggets. Redick said James was “still banged up” but said the Lakers think he will play Sunday against the New York Knicks.
Ayton (knee) and reserve center Maxi Kleber (back) also are day to day, Redick said.
The Lakers were looking to stack wins and are not in position to judge an opponent by its win-loss record.
So, when the Lakers encountered a Pelicans team that arrived at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night with a 19-43 record, they knew they couldn’t afford to overlook New Orleans. Especially since the Pelicans had won four of their past five and because they have a talented core of young talent that includes Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray.
It took all five starters scoring in double figures and it took a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter for the Lakers (37-24) to pull out a 110-101 win over a stubborn Pelicans team.
“Well, we knew we weren’t playing against their record tonight,” said LeBron James, who was one of the starters to score in double figures with 21 points to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. But he also had five turnovers.
“It’s the first time they’ve been whole in quite a while,” James, who was eight-for-12 from the field, continued. “And we know when they’ve been whole what kind of team they’ve been. So, we came in with that mindset, understanding what kind of team we were playing and they won their last four out of five before tonight, or something like that.
“But we didn’t come in with the notion that we were playing against their record. We came in with the notion that we were playing a very athletic team that’s been playing exceptional basketball of late.”
The Lakers have been a better team as of late as well, winning their third straight game after losing three straight.
They won this one over the Pelicans with just enough offense and some timely defense.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. But he was just 10-for-22 from the field and three-for-10 from three-point range and he had seven turnovers.
“I think we responded in a good way,”: Doncic said. “Sometimes you got to win playing bad. That’s what good teams do. I think that’s what it is today. Obviously it wasn’t our best game, but we managed to get a win.”
Austin Reaves had 15 points on four-for-15 shooting and two for seven on three-pointers, eight rebounds and five turnovers.
Reaves injured his arm late in the fourth quarter after stripping the basketball away from Williamson. But after a quick time out, Reeves returned to the game.
“I just hit my funny bone,” Reaves said. “Whole hand went numb, called a time out, kind of went away and was able to play.”
Deandre Ayton had 13 points and eight rebounds.
There also was the defense and energy Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes provided the Lakers.
Smart had 10 points, four steals and three blocks. He also was big on offense, drilling a three-pointer with 1:34 left for a 105-98 Lakers lead.
Hayes had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
“Jaxson was guarding Zion, which is not easy,” Doncic said. “So, I think he had some big, big plays for us. And obviously Smart has been the key to our wins (this season).”
The Lakers had 20 turnovers through three quarters, which didn’t help their cause.
They had just one in the fourth quarter and that came on a late-game 24-second violation when they were running out the clock.
The Lakers didn’t help themselves by losing their composure.
Doncic was given a technical foul in the second quarter. Luke Kennard received a technical foul in the third quarter and Ayton got a technical foul in the fourth quarter after being called for a foul blocking a shot by Williamson.
Austin Reaves celebrates after making a three-pointer in the second half.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers had 12 blocks for the game and seven in the decisive fourth quarter.
They held the Pelicans to 35% shooting in the fourth and just 23 points.
“I think we’ve made some strides defensively,” James said. “I think we didn’t play much at all zone tonight. We started the game with it, we kind of went away from it. So, I thought our man-to-man defense was pretty good. I thought Jaxson and Marcus were great on that end and then everyone else kind of trickled in as well.”
