guys

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where it’s finally the postseason.

The Lakers begin the playoffs Saturday against the Houston Rockets, a team that a month ago looked like one of the most vulnerable playoff targets in the West. Now the tables have turned. The Lakers, without Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, are the team everyone wanted to see in the first round. They’re shorthanded. They’re vulnerable. But they’re not giving up.

“All season people have counted us out and all we season we have continued to show why we belong here and that we really don’t care what people say,” guard Marcus Smart said. “And that’s us. That’s who we are and I think it shows with our two guys down and the way we finished the season and the miles we had going into the playoffs.”

One player on this team has significantly more miles on his tread, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from watching him race down the court for another crowd-pleasing dunk.

The crown still fits

LeBron James chuckled at the suggestion. He smiled before the question was done.

How does he feel like he’s handled the shift back to the being the Lakers’ primary option?

“What’s wrong with you, man?” James said with a smile.

He’s not new to this. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is taking back the reins as the Lakers’ No. 1 playmaker and steering the team straight into the postseason.

Since Doncic and Reaves were injured, James has averaged 25.5 points, 11 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals, finishing the season with an exclamation point against the Utah Jazz: 18 points, six assists and three steals in less than 17 minutes Sunday. A month after acknowledging and adjusting to life as the world’s most accomplished third fiddle, James was named Western Conference player of the week Monday, the 70th such honor of his career.

“He had not a good season, not a great [season],” Lakers coach JJ Redick said, “he had a remarkable season, all things considered.”

Like the wine he’s cut out of his diet, James is aging just fine. After sitting out of the first 14 games, James played in 60 of the final 68. Even though he often joked that at his age he was questionable for every game, he averaged 23.3 points in his six appearances playing with zero days of rest, shooting 58% from the field with 8.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game. It was more points than he averaged on one or two days’ rest.

With Doncic orchestrating most of the Lakers’ offense, James found a different way to thrive. The 41-year-old led the league with 5.7 fast-break points per game.

Of James’ 919 total made field goals, 97 were dunks. The 11.2% was tied for the largest percentage of dunks in a season in his career. It was nearly a decade ago — 2016-17 — that he dunked this often. More than 20% of his made field goals are dunks, the most of any season in his career.

“I think there’s an enjoyment level that I think he gets from making highlight plays and it feeds into it with the crowd,” Redick said. “I think that’s just part of it. The other part of it is, for him, I think he recognizes that’s one of the ways that he can really impact winning on our team. And so he’s taken [the] responsibility of, like, ‘I’m going to be the best transition player in the NBA,’ and he has been.”

James’ ruthlessness in transition set the tone for teammates, who couldn’t be seen moving slower than someone who is closer to their father’s age than theirs.

“If we see him run down, he beats us down the court, that’s not a good thing,” center Jaxson Hayes said. “So I feel like I got to get down there when I see him start going.”

The 22-time All-Star is now leading more than just a fast break for the Lakers. The team experienced an emotional hangover after the regular season-ending injuries to Reaves and Doncic. The Lakers needed more than just points from James to cure their woes.

He delivered by locking in against Golden State, being vocal during the team’s pregame meeting and showing the trademark determination that teammates can’t help but follow. It sparked a three-game winning streak to finish the regular season that James punctuated with several soaring dunks against the Jazz.

“You have no idea how much I have a respect for him,” forward Rui Hachimura said. “It’s his Year 26 or 27, or whatever the hell it is. He’s still playing the last game of the season against the team that, they’re not trying to win. We really appreciate that.”

Smart moves

Marcus Smart

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

He’s not Doncic. He’s not Reaves. But Smart’s return to the Lakers’ lineup is still significant in time for the playoffs.

The guard played the final two games of the regular season after missing what felt like the longest, three-week, nine-game stretch in basketball history. Scrambling on the floor next to Maxi Kleber to find Jarred Vanderbilt for a cutting dunk against the Suns on Friday, Smart made the expected immediate defensive difference. But with 17 assists in two appearances, Smart flashed his ability to deliver in different ways on offense.

His timely return can ease the playmaking pressure on Luke Kennard, who filled in admirably in an emergency stretch with 31 assists in four games, and help handle the load next to James.

Smart is especially aware of the energy of his teammates. He is eager to reward centers for running the floor. He shovels the ball to teammates who are going through shooting slumps to prioritize scoring over his own. It’s not a coincidence that he fired two early passes to Deandre Ayton for dunks against the Jazz and Ayton finished with his first 20-point double-double in a month.

“Even post-Boston the last couple seasons he’s graded out well as a secondary playmaker,” Redick said of Smart. “So he’s been in that position before. He knows how to get other guys involved.”

Smart knows the pressure of the playoffs. He helped the Boston Celtics reach the NBA Finals in 2022, but hasn’t played in the postseason since he was traded in 2023. He missed it. So even if he’ll begin this postseason journey without two of his main teammates, Smart will relish this chance.

“It ain’t gonna be easy,” Smart said. “We all know it, but it’s gonna be fun, and we’re gonna enjoy this ride.”

On tap

Saturday vs. Rockets, 5:30 p.m.

Here we go, friends. Game 1 of the playoffs. In March, these teams played a two-game series in Houston that felt like a playoff preview, but circumstances have changed completely since Doncic’s clutch time brilliance led the Lakers to two key wins. The Lakers went 22-8 in games within five points in the last five minutes this season, but the Rockets had a 22-23 clutch time record, which ranked 16th in the NBA, the worst clutch-time winning percentage for any Western Conference playoff team.

Status report

Jaxson Hayes: left foot soreness

Hayes missed the past four games of the regular season. He was a late scratch before the game against Oklahoma City on April 7 and has remained day to day since.

Luka Doncic: left hamstring strain

After getting injections on his injured hamstring in Spain, Doncic will be back stateside by Friday but there is no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Austin Reaves: left oblique strain

Reaves is working hard to return this season but similar to Doncic, there’s no timeline for his comeback yet.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Lotus root kofta curry (left), paratha and duck confit biryani from Rasa in Burlingame, Calif.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

On my way to San Francisco last week, my colleague Broderick Turner texted me to “find a good restaurant.” You don’t have to tell me twice.

I went straight from the airport to Rasa in Burlingame, which specializes in Southern Indian dishes. We explored the tasting menu, which offered two appetizers, a dosa and two entrees. We started with the rasa sliders, which were spiced potato fritters with a tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney, General Tso’s cauliflower, an Indian-Chinese crossover with a familiar spicy sauce. The dosa was filled with a tamarind-spiced potato masala with basil chutney, ginger, garlic and cilantro. It was my favorite dish of the night, but I was so consumed by eating it, I forgot to take a picture. The mains (pictured) were a vegan lotus root kofta curry and duck confit biryani. I could barely touch my entree because I was so full from the first two courses, but it made great leftovers for the morning after the game.

In case you missed it

Luka Doncic rejoining Lakers after getting injury treatment in Europe

How do the Lakers match up against the Houston Rockets entering their playoff series?

‘Mr. 82.’ How Jake LaRavia became the injury-plagued Lakers’ iron man

Lakers defeat Jazz, will open playoffs at home against Houston

‘He does so many more things.’ How Luke Kennard became the Lakers’ emergency point guard

Plaschke: Broken Lakers need to shut down the season

Lakers great Michael Cooper is introduced as Cal State L.A. men’s basketball coach

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where life comes at you fast.

Only a week ago, the Lakers were winning games and flying high. Quite literally. Remember when Luka Doncic dunked?

Happier times.

Now Doncic and Austin Reaves are both sidelined at least for the rest of the regular season and likely through the first round of the playoffs. The injury updates that came on consecutive days following Thursday’s 43-point loss to Oklahoma City felt like a devastating series of gut punches. Coach JJ Redick often talks about “not letting go of the rope.” The Lakers will have to white-knuckle their way through the next few weeks without their two stars.

Why is Luka Doncic in Europe?

Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts after sustaining a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.

(Cooper Neill / Getty Images)

He knows magic. Now Luka Doncic needs medicine to help pull off his next stunning trick.

With the playoffs approaching, Doncic traveled to Europe to seek treatment for his strained left hamstring, his agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed to The Times’ Broderick Turner. The hope is that with specialized treatments, Doncic can speed up what is typically a four- to six-week recovery process and get back in time for at least part of the Lakers postseason, which begins April 18.

Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem cell injections are the most common treatments for injuries of this nature, said Kenton Fibel, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics.

The biologic injections can speed up healing of injured tissue. PRP injections use the natural growth and anti-inflammatory factors in platelets to promote healing while stem cells harvested from a patient’s bone marrow or adipose tissue similarly help with the regeneration and turnover of the healing tissue into normal muscle tendon tissue, Fibel said.

Top U.S. athletes have gone to Europe to seek the treatments for decades. Kobe Bryant, former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are among those who’ve crossed the pond for solutions to chronic injuries. But similar treatments are also available in the United States.

In the U.S., only PRP and stem cell injections coming from a patient’s own body are allowed and the cells are not allowed to be manipulated, Fibel said. With looser regulations in Europe, doctors can attempt to increase the concentration of anti-inflammatory factors in a single PRP sample or culture stem cells over days to increase the number of them with hopes of speeding up healing even more.

Whether there is a significant increase in efficacy between the cutting-edge European treatments compared to the U.S. methods is unclear, Fibel said, but an athlete’s decision to pursue treatment often comes down to individual comfort level or prior experiences.

Lakers star Luka Doncic shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell during a Lakers win on March 27.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The ubiquity of degenerative conditions or recurring soft tissue injuries in sports have turned European countries, including Germany and Switzerland, into hot spots for top athletes searching for help.

“These are injuries that are not always that easy to completely prevent, and it’s also not the easiest to always prevent reaggravation,” Fibel said. “And so I think [the new treatments] also comes from a frustration of doing a lot of the treatments and modalities that were used in prior injuries and still having an issue afterwards [so] that they’re searching for something new and different.”

Doncic knows the routine when it comes to hamstring injuries. As a player who thrives on his shifty change of pace, Doncic’s quick start and stop motions put extra load on his hamstrings and put him at risk of reinjury. Another left hamstring strain sidelined him for four games earlier this season.

Now with a Grade 2 injury, Doncic’s timeline for recovery would typically be four to six weeks. A Grade 2 injury shows “true disruption” that involves about 50% of the tissue, Fibel said. The most severe Grade 3 is used to describe a more significant, if not complete, tear of the muscle or tendon. The Lakers have suffered several Grade 2 injuries this season, including Austin Reaves’ latest left oblique strain.

The timing of the injuries couldn’t be worse for the Lakers. Not only do the playoffs begin in less than two weeks, but the Lakers were playing their best basketball of the season before the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. They appeared to be legitimate contenders in the playoffs. Now they must wait to see if Doncic’s super serum turns him into a superhero capable of saving their postseason.

“[Doncic is] going to go through all the necessary things to be back at some point,” Redick said, “and it’s our job again to extend the season so both those guys can get back.”

Scoreboard watching

Lakers star LeBron James reacts during a game against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

It’s true what they say: No lead is safe in the NBA.

Just when it looked like the Lakers were likely to finish third in the West, the Nuggets found a rhythm, the Lakers got bitten by the injury bug and the Rockets refused to relent.

Reeling from the loss of their two leading scorers, the Lakers have fallen to fourth in the West with Denver surging on a nine-game winning streak. After an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, the Nuggets (51-28) have a half-game advantage over the Lakers for the No. 3 seed.

The good news: The Lakers can’t drop below the fifth seed, thanks to Minnesota’s recent slide. They also have an additional cushion from their exceptional March, which gave them head-to-head tiebreakers against Denver and Houston.

I won’t repeat the obvious injury-related bad news.

To drop to fifth, the Lakers have to be 2-2 (or worse) in their last four games, while the Nuggets, who have the head-to-head tiebreaker against Houston, go at least 2-1 and the Rockets (49-29) run the table. The Nuggets have the tougher schedule between the three teams, though, playing both Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the final three games.

Here’s a look at the remaining games for the teams fighting for third, fourth and fifth in the West:

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

On tap

Tuesday vs. Thunder (62-16) 7:30 p.m. PDT

The Lakers won’t be able to undo last week’s 43-point loss in Oklahoma City, but a competitive showing in the rematch could at least offer a much-needed confidence boost entering the postseason.

Thursday at Warriors (36-42), 7 p.m.

The Warriors are in position to eke into the play-in tournament as the 10th seed. Believe it or not, this could be the last meeting between LeBron James and Stephen Curry in their illustrious careers as the 41-year-old James enters unrestricted free agency this summer.

Friday vs. Suns (43-35), 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix is currently seventh in the West with a chance to chase down sixth-place Minnesota for a playoff berth. Dillon Brooks recently returned from a fractured left hand that kept him out for about six weeks. The Suns went 9-9 during his absence.

Sunday vs. Jazz (21-58), 5:30 p.m.

The Jazz and the Kings are in a heated race to the bottom of the conference. Losers of nine straight, the Jazz are primarily hoping to keep their top-eight protected draft pick, which was at risk of conveying to Oklahoma City.

Status report

Luka Doncic: left hamstring strain

The Lakers have ruled Doncic out for at least the remainder of the regular season. Doncic previously missed four games with another left hamstring strain, but that same timeline won’t apply because the absence rolled into All-Star weekend, when he made a token appearance in the All-Star Game.

Austin Reaves: left oblique strain

Reaves played through the injury he suffered in the first quarter against the Thunder last week, but was ruled out for the rest of the regular season and he likely will miss the first round of the playoffs. He was injured while reaching for a loose ball.

Marcus Smart: right ankle contusion

Smart will miss his eighth consecutive game Tuesday against the Thunder as his ankle injury has lingered for more than two weeks since he got tangled up with Orlando’s Goga Bitadze. While Smart has worked out with staff members on the court before games, he is still day-to-day for his return.

Favorite thing I ate this week

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

When in doubt, consult the L.A. Times. For all the news you need to know, yes, but also about your local food needs. This dinner was brought to you by the L.A. Times’ best 101 restaurants list, which recommended Lalibela on Fairfax for an Ethiopian feast. We started with the lentil sambusa (not pictured), which came with a perfectly spiced herb sauce, and shared the veggie utopia, which hits every note with the restaurant’s most popular vegetarian dishes.

In case you missed it

Injury-riddled Lakers lose to Dallas; Luka Doncic to have medical treatment in Europe

Lakers’ Austin Reaves out for rest of regular season with oblique strain

Luka Doncic’s hamstring strain will keep him out for remainder of the regular season

Lakers star Luka Doncic suffers hamstring injury in reality-check loss to Thunder

After a sizzling March, Lakers face a big playoff test against equally hot Oklahoma City

Luka Doncic matches Michael Jordan for the most magical March in NBA history

LeBron James achieves his 125th career triple-double in Lakers’ win over Wizards

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where the vibes are immaculate.

The Lakers have won 15 of their last 17 games. LeBron James continues to set NBA records, most recently tying the all-time mark for wins in the regular season and playoffs with Monday’s win over Washington. Jaxson Hayes hasn’t missed a three-point shot all year. The fans who chanted “We want Bronny!” have gotten their wish.

With seven games remaining in the regular season, we turn our focus to a different cheer.

MVP! MVP!

Lakers star Luka Doncic runs onto the court before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 10 at Crypto.com Arena.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The familiar chant rang out in arenas from L.A. to Miami to Indianapolis. Luka Doncic’s campaign was powerful enough to sway even opposing crowds that showered him with shouts of “MVP.”

With Doncic on a historic season-ending heater, the most valuable player discussion suddenly got piping hot with two weeks left in the season. The NBA’s leading scorer surged back into the race with gaudy numbers over the month of March: 37.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game; 12 straight 30-point games; a 24-hour stretch with 100 points; and the first 60-point performance by a Laker since Kobe Bryant in his final game.

The most important number from March: 14 wins. Approaching the playoffs, the Lakers (49-26) are one of the hottest teams in the league, powered by Doncic’s brilliance.

“If we continue to finish the season the way we’re playing right now, and he continues to play that way, to me, he is the MVP,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Doncic leads the league in scoring (33.7) and is just a hair off from the career-high 33.9 points per game he averaged when he finished third in MVP voting in 2024. Compared to the other top three MVP candidates — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama — Doncic’s traditional stats paint a competitive picture. He has the second-most assists of the quartet behind Jokic and the third-most rebounds.

Among guards who have played more than 11 games, Doncic ranks third in rebounds per game at 7.8, and his 7.2 defensive rebounds per game is the most of anyone at his position. Doncic’s defense gets picked apart, but he also has a career-best 102 steals. He’s the only player averaging 30 or more points this season with 100 or more steals.

“He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said.

Advanced statistics have Doncic a tier below his rivals. Doncic’s net rating of plus-4 is a distant fourth among the top contenders and pales in comparison to Wembanyama’s plus-17.3.

Breaking down the MVP race

Jokic appeared to be on his way to winning his fourth MVP before the Nuggets star missed a month with a knee injury. By leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to be in pole position to win his second consecutive MVP.

Doncic and Wembanyama are making a late charge. The Spurs see the Lakers’ 14-2 record in March and raise them a 25-2 mark since Feb. 1. They won their 10 consecutive game Monday. While Doncic was serving a suspension for technical foul accumulation, Wembanyama scored 41 points with 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks against the Chicago Bulls.

The MVP chants in Frost Bank Arena are just as loud as anywhere in the league.

All fore one

Lakers guard Austin Reaves shoots a free throw during a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Of all the NBA markets, L.A. presents unique challenges to team building. When Redick played for the Clippers, teammates scattered immediately after practice with hopes of beating traffic on the way home. Redick knew he wasn’t going to drive hours from his home in Manhattan Beach to visit Chris Paul in Calabasas.

But for the Lakers, a round of golf is worth a drive on the 405.

“Finding tee times, being with each other for four hours where you can shoot the proverbial S-H-I-whatever and not have to be in a high pressure moment or on a team bus and kind of be away from the facility,” Redick said, “I think it’s great.”

Golf is the Lakers’ latest bonding activity that’s helped keep the vibes high through the most successful stretch of the season. The Lakers have been intentional with team-building activities in Redick’s second year at the helm. All players and coaches made autobiographical powerpoint presentations to the team during the preseason. Jake LaRavia and assistant coach Beau Levesque won the team-wide pickleball tournament in November. Players and coaches arrange golf outings between games on long road trips. One day after hitting the winning shot in Orlando, newest teammate Luke Kennard got in on the golf action in a scramble match with players facing coaches.

“They had AR,” Redick said sheepishly, “so we can all guess the result of that one.”

Austin Reaves is the leader in the clubhouse. He remembered when teammates gave him grief about his love of golf, which he picked up at 17 and almost immediately excelled at. Seeing his teammates embrace the game “actually means a lot to me,” Reaves said.

“I’m glad that they are addicted,” he added with a satisfied smile.

After the COVID-19 bubble, Redick noticed an uptick in golf’s popularity around the league. Even the Lakers have a handful of players who suddenly decided to start during the last year. Doncic is the most recent convert. He bragged that he beat Reaves on one hole when they played in Indianapolis. Reaves, who got a double bogey compared to Doncic’s bogey, said he let his teammate win.

“It’s a confidence thing,” Reaves said. “We needed him to be at his best at 7 o’clock tonight.”

Doncic scored 43 points against Indianapolis the day after the golf outing.

On tap

Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen shoots between Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, left, and forward Tobias Harris on March 3.

(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)

Tuesday vs. Cleveland (47-28), 7:30 p.m. PDT

Center Jarrett Allen returned last week from a 10-game absence, but missed Cleveland’s game on Monday in Utah as he managed right knee tendinitis. Missing the first game of a back-to-back indicates that he’ll likely be available against the Lakers.

Thursday at Oklahoma City (60-16), 6:30 p.m. PDT

The Thunder have won 15 of their last 16 games with the only loss coming against Boston. This game and next week’s rematch at Crypto.com Arena could be critical in the MVP race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic.

Sunday at Dallas (24-51), 4:30 p.m. PDT

Since the trade heard ‘round the league, Doncic has averaged 33 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in four games against his former team. It’s his highest scoring average against any Western Conference opponent.

Status report

Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion)

Smart remains day-to-day with an ankle injury he sustained against Orlando. He has missed four games.

Adou Thiero (left knee soreness)

The rookie forward landed back on the injury report after playing two minutes in the Lakers’ loss to Detroit. Redick said Thiero was held out for precautionary reasons after his knee didn’t react well to playing in a G League game then playing in Detroit two days later. Thiero previously missed six weeks with a right medial collateral ligament sprain and underwent surgery on his left knee in college, which kept him sidelined at the beginning of the season.

Favorite thing I ate this week

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I have had Ramen Nagi on my list for literal years because former USC center Brett Neilon — who grew up in Tokyo — recommended it. I have changed beats three times since then but never forgot what he said was his favorite ramen place in L.A. The red king, which is a spicy version of their pork broth ramen, was worth the years of anticipation. Every bowl is customizable so I loved getting to add thick ramen noodles.

In case you missed it

No Luka Doncic, no problem for LeBron James and Lakers in blowout win

Lakers hope two-day ‘reset’ will refresh them for final stretch of the season

Luka Doncic will serve one-game suspension for techs on Monday

Swanson: Bronny James has proven he deserves to be a Laker — with or without LeBron

Lakers beat Nets, but Luka Doncic is facing suspension again after 16th technical

Luka Doncic scores 43 as road weary Lakers hold off late Pacers rally

Lakers fade in final seconds against Pistons as nine-game win streak ends

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where we are remembering that all good things must come to an end.

The Lakers’ longest winning streak since the 2019-20 season ended in Detroit on Monday much in the same fashion that it was built. The Lakers announced themselves as a legitimate playoff threat by piling up thrilling, clutch time wins. Another team’s clutch time win snapped the Lakers’ nine-game streak. Win or lose, the Lakers are finding new lessons in every one of the close games.

Bend but don’t break

Luke Kennard, second from right, celebrates after his winning basket.

(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

The missed shots. The missed calls. Every missed opportunity against the Orlando Magic could have been a moment for the Lakers to “let go of the rope,” Austin Reaves said.

But why didn’t they?

“I think it’s just …” Reaves said, pausing to find the right word after the Lakers rallied from down five points with 50 seconds left to win by one.

“Belief.”

We thought the Lakers’ early season clutch success might have been a mirage against bad teams. But through the most difficult stretch of the season — nine of 11 games against teams with winning records including seven against teams .600 or better — the late-game execution has remained largely on point.

The Lakers (46-26) still have a league-leading 22-7 record in games within five points in the last five minutes. The Lakers are 6-2 in clutch games in March. Before the loss to Detroit, their 82-point clutch time defensive rating this month is an astronomical improvement from their overall 115.7 points allowed per 100 possessions.

They have played the fewest number of clutch minutes this season, in part because they kept getting blown out earlier this season. Their first 12 losses were all by 10 or more points. Those losses tipped the team’s point differential into the red despite their overwhelming winning record. They were signs that the Lakers bent and immediately broke.

Just as much as the clutch wins, coach JJ Redick looks at recent close losses — the last four came by a combined 14 points against Orlando, Phoenix, Denver and Detroit — as signs of progress.

“Our resolve and resilience — you need to be connected to do that as a team, not just individually,” Redick said. “I think where we were earlier in the year, all of us, probably the coaching staff included, was like, ‘When things go bad, you revert back to your means of self preservation, whatever that may look like for each individual.’ … We’re bending multiple times in a game, and we’re staying the course and trusting each other.”

The Lakers have two of the best individual stars to trust in key situations.

Luka Doncic put on a clutch clinic in Houston: Within five consecutive offensive possessions, Doncic hit a pirouetting step-back three, split a double team with a behind-the-back dribble to throw a no-look lob to Rui Hachimura, spun through another trap for a second alley-oop to LeBron James and nailed the dagger three. The dazzling display elicited roars from his teammates.

Some of James’ recent clutch highlights haven’t been as loud but are just as significant: His Superman dive to save a loose ball against Denver, the forced turnover that gave the Lakers the last possession against the Magic and the hard cut to the basket that drew two defenders to leave Luke Kennard wide open for the game-winning shot. The Lakers never doubted.

“We got Hall of Fame players,” Reaves said, “guys with a lot of talent that compete at the highest level, and when you got that, no game’s ever over.”

LeBron James rewrites another narrative

LeBron James looks for a pass during a game against Sacramento earlier this month.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

After 23 years of hearing every compliment and every criticism imaginable, James is still smiling through it all. Because through chatter that the Lakers are better without their 22-time All-Star who is making $52.6 million this season, James offered this interview equivalent of a one-handed dunk:

“It sells papers a lot easier and clippings and podcasts if you say ‘LeBron, that their team is better off without him,’ ” James said after he had a triple-double in the Lakers’ win over the Miami Heat during his NBA-record 1,612th regular-season game. “A lot of people will try to, like, view it, so I get it. But they’re absolutely wrong.”

James then scrunched his face into a sarcastic, close-eyed smile.

The Lakers started their winning streak without James, but they couldn’t have continued it if he hadn’t returned in this fashion.

Since missing three games with elbow and hip injuries, James has starred in his new role as possibly most dangerous third option ever. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer’s usage rate dropped from 28.2% in his first 44 games of the season to 21.3% across the six games before Detroit. Before this season, his usage rate has never been lower than 27.6% for an entire year.

But Redick said the team knows it’s at its best when James has the third-highest usage rate. More important, James is playing like he knows that too.

James was held scoreless in the first half against Detroit for just the third time in his career. Redick praised James for his “selfless” play against the Pistons. He finished a rebound short of a triple-double: 12 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

“It’s the role that I’m playing for the ball club,” James said. “In order for us to win ball games, it’s the role that I’m playing.”

James is taking three fewer shots a game in the last seven games compared to his season average and averaging a quiet 18 points and 6.1 assists per game. But he has been exceptionally efficient: 58% shooting from the field and he still leads the league with 5.7 fastbreak points per game. Reaves said he sometimes forgets that he’s throwing lobs to a 41-year-old.

“I’m going, I’m going to kill you one day on accident just throwing the ball like I forget that you’re 41,” Reaves said he told James. “I’m still throwing it to 35-[year-old] LeBron.”

On tap

Wednesday at Pacers (16-56), 4 p.m. PDT

The Lakers’ six-game trip ends in Indianapolis with the Pacers, who just snapped the NBA’s longest losing streak Monday. They had lost 16 consecutive games before knocking off the Magic, but still have the worst record in the league. Ivica Zubac is out for the rest of the season after the former Clippers big man fractured his rib.

Friday vs. Nets (17-55), 7:30 p.m. PDT

Michael Porter Jr. is averaging a career-best 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and three assists. That’s basically all there is to know about the Nets.

Monday at Wizards (16-55), 7 p.m. PDT

The Wizards’ 16-game losing streak is now the longest in the NBA after the Pacers’ recent win. Anthony Davis was traded to the Wizards from Dallas in February but remains sidelined because of a finger injury. Fellow midseason acquisition Trae Young (quad) is also expected to miss the game.

Status report

Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness)

Hachimura is day-to-day after he got hit in the calf against Miami. The injury bothered Hachimura enough that he went back to the locker room late against Orlando. He got imaging and “it was clean,” Redick said.

Marcus Smart (right ankle soreness)

Smart injured his ankle against Orlando when forward Goga Bitadze fell on the Lakers guard. Smart also has some lingering right hip soreness from another fall during that game, but is day-to-day, Redick said.

Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain)

Kleber joined the team on the trip in Detroit after missing seven games. During his rehab process, Kleber participated in a practice with the South Bay Lakers last week.

Favorite thing I ate this week

The gumbo at Fixins in downtown Detroit.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

With the weather difference from Orlando to Detroit, I landed in the Midwest in desperate need of comfort food. I fed my soul at Fixins in downtown Detroit, filling up on their gumbo. The hearty stew had chicken and sausage (with an option to add shrimp) and was served over rice with a cornbread muffin. On a chilly Midwest day, it healed me. There’s a Fixins location in L.A. too, so expect to find me there the next time I need my Southern food fix.

In case you missed it

Lakers fade in final seconds against Pistons as nine-game win streak ends

Luka Doncic avoids suspension after NBA rescinds his 16th technical foul

Luka Doncic says vulgar comment from Orlando player led to his 16th technical

Luke Kennard’s last-second three-pointer lifts Lakers to ninth consecutive win

Luka Doncic’s 60-point game thrusts Lakers star into middle of MVP debate

Plaschke: ‘Yeaaaaaah!’ A child’s cheer inspires surging Lakers

Luka Doncic scores 60 and LeBron ties NBA games record in Lakers’ eighth straight win

Luka Doncic (40 points) and LeBron James (30) lead Lakers to win over Rockets

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where we are fully scoreboard watching.

The Lakers have 14 games left and are surging up the Western Conference standings. With six consecutive wins and nine in their last 10, the Lakers (43-25) are third in the West and suddenly have a 1.5-game lead on fourth-place Houston.

The team that couldn’t beat anyone good suddenly has statement wins over four teams with .600 records. The turnaround from fighting to stay out of the play-in to now being in position for homecourt advantage left even JJ Redick struggling to find the right description.

“Is coalesce a word?” Redick said after the Lakers outlasted the Denver Nugget in overtime on Saturday. “Is that the right word? For coming together? Jelling? I think it feels like we’re coalescing right now in a really nice way.”

Lakers’ ‘Big Three’ finds its pecking order

The defining moment of LeBron James’ performance during the Lakers’ game of the season officially went down as a turnover.

His Superman dive to save a loose ball with 54.3 seconds left in regulation against Denver on Saturday turned into one of James’ five turnovers because the Lakers did not corral the jump ball. But the statistical and physical sacrifice of the play showed the type of role James will play on this team coming down the stretch of the season.

“It’s a great example of leadership,” Redick said. “Leadership is not just the voice who’s talking. Leadership is then what you do on the court, and if you want to be a winning team then you need guys who are willing to take the lead and make winning plays.”

With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves starring, Redick acknowledged that “the best thing for our team is [James] being the third highest-used player.” Since returning from hip and elbow injuries that kept him out of three games, James has had the third-highest usage rate on the team in each of the last three games. All were wins.

Redick acknowledged that “finding the groove” between James, Doncic and Reaves has been “the challenge for all of them, not just LeBron, all season.” It was more difficult because alternating injuries limited the trio’s time together on the court.

The season-long advanced metrics have favored having just Doncic and Reaves on the court, who have a plus-eight net rating together, as opposed to all three (plus-3.2 net rating). But the modest rating of the Doncic, Reaves and James combination has taken dramatic leaps this week alone.

James, Doncic and Reaves outscored opponents by 32.7 points per 100 possessions in wins against the Bulls and Nuggets.

The Lakers have gotten their “best win of the season” four times in the last nine days. Two were without James when the Lakers blew out the Knicks and the Timberwolves. He returned and the wins got grittier: an overtime thriller against Denver and Monday’s tense victory in Houston.

Other teammates made the flashy, standout plays. Doncic nailed the game-winning basket in overtime against Denver, and Reaves forced extra time with a one-in-a-hundred intentionally missed free throw. Deandre Ayton had four consecutive points late in the fourth quarter against Houston that put the Rockets away.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, meanwhile, has been a relatively quiet seven-for-13 from the field in each of the last three games, scoring no more than 18 points. He doesn’t mind as long as it adds up to wins.

“If it benefits others, it benefits the team,” James said last week. “The team is most important.”

It won’t count in the stat sheet, but watching James fly across the floor at 41 years old against Denver was “one of the biggest plays of the game,” Reaves said Saturday. Redick joked that after 23 NBA seasons and three years of high school he had never seen James lay out for a loose ball like that.

Because he never had, James replied.

And after sharing a photo on social media of a bright red court burn the size of a nickel, James might never do it again.

“Might be it for diving for the year!” James wrote in an Instagram story showing the wound. “Ouch! Lol!”

Deandre Ayton arrives just in time

Deandre Ayton shoots against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

Nearly 10 years before teaming up for the Lakers, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton were just teenaged prospects with big dreams. They first met at a Basketball without Borders camp in 2016. The roster that year also included future NBA champions Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein. Hachimura recalled Ayton dominating everyone. Then the 7-foot center from the Bahamas inexplicably disappeared.

“That’s what I remember,” Hachimura said with a smile remembering his first impression of his future Lakers teammate. “I was like, ‘Where’s this guy going?’”

When Hachimura shared that anecdote in October, it was an unintentionally fitting description of Ayton’s career. Over the last eight years, the former No. 1 pick has dominated and disappeared in equal measure.

Just in time for the Lakers’ biggest games of the year, the enigmatic center returned to his “DominAyton” mode.

Ayton averaged 13 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in wins over the Knicks, Timberwolves, Bulls and Nuggets after coming back from a one-game injury absence. When Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber were sidelined for games against Minnesota and Chicago, Ayton starred with back-to-back double-doubles.

“Felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said. “I finally caught up with the team.”

One of the surest signs of Ayton’s engagement is his activity on the boards. The Lakers are 29-7 when Ayton has eight or more rebounds and 8-14 when he has seven or fewer. Lately he has been especially clutch with three rebounds and four points in overtime against Denver and five rebounds with six points in the fourth quarter against Houston when the Lakers finished the game on a 13-4 run.

“He is an X factor for us, if not the X Factor,” Redick said after Ayton scored 23 points with 10 rebounds against the Bulls, “because him playing at a high level raises our ceiling. It changes the makeup of our team.”

Ayton had his son Deandre Ayton Jr. in the locker room after that performance against the Bulls. The five-year-old bounced a white rubber ball on the ground while waiting for his dad to finish showering then joined him at his locker for his media obligations. After the game when the Lakers celebrated “Girl Dad Night,” this proud boy dad left a lasting impression.

“Truly a blessing,” Ayton said of having his son join him at the game, “especially being a Laker. Just hope he [is] inspired.”

On tap

Wednesday at Rockets (41-26), 6:30 p.m.

This game will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker between Houston and L.A. In the tight conference race, the Lakers already own head-to-head tiebreakers against Denver and Minnesota, but not against Phoenix, which is lurking in the seventh spot with a 39-29 record, four games behind the Lakers.

Thursday at Heat (38-30), 5 p.m.

The Heat were one of the hottest teams in the East before losing to the Orlando Magic on Saturday in Norman Powell’s return from injury. Powell came off the bench after missing seven games because of a groin injury and scored 20 points. The Heat were 7-0 during the stretch without Powell, even playing without Tyler Herro for two games.

Saturday at Magic (38-29), 4 p.m.

The Magic’s seven-game winning streak came to an end Monday in Atlanta. Franz Wagner (ankle) has played in just four games since Dec. 7, and Paolo Banchero is averaging 24.8 points on 51.4% shooting, 9.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists during the month of March.

Monday at Detroit (48-19), 4 p.m.

The Pistons are cruising toward the top seed in the East. Cade Cunningham has continued his breakthrough year with 24.9 points and 10.1 assists per game.

Status report

Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain)

The backup big man has missed four games because of a back injury that started earlier this season and recently flared up against. Kleber has good days and bad days, Redick said, and has been shut down for five days. He did not travel to Houston for the beginning of the six-game trip, but the Lakers hope he can join.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Korean short ribs (galbi) with rice and Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon radish.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

Made possible only through teamwork with my favorite coworker Brad Turner, I did the impossible: I had two uninterrupted weeks at home during the NBA season. After coming home from a month overseas, I needed that time to settle back into my normal life, including my kitchen. I missed it. We kept it low-key for the homecoming with Korean short ribs (galbi) with rice and Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon radish. Green onions for garnish because my mom would never let a dish touch the table if it wasn’t garnished.

In case you missed it

Lakers surge late and defeat Rockets for their sixth consecutive win

How Austin Reaves pulled off a perfect game-tying missed free throw in Lakers’ win

LeBron James’ adaptability a key in victory over the Bulls

The Lakers turn a big liability into an asset, using strong defense to beat Minnesota

Swanson: Booooo! Bam Adebayo was ‘cheating the game’ in surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 81-point effort

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!