Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Austin Reaves Scores 44, Rui Hachimura Hits Game Winner, Lakers WIn 123-120

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to Locked on Lakers for Friday. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kemenetsky, Austin Reeves, dominates Rui Hachamura, hits a game winner, and LeBron James streak ends in probably the coolest way it could have. What a game on Thursday will break it all down next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcasts network. your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Lockdown Lakers first listen to every day Monday through Friday.

Starting point is 00:00:42 No matter how where you get your podcasts, this one is never going to be locked behind some ugly paywall. You've got to climb over to find it. It is part, Andy, of the number one sports podcast network in this or any known universe, the Locked on podcast network. So whether you get the show through Apple, iTunes, through Spotify, through maybe you're one of the 37,000 plus people who subscribe on YouTube. However you do it, we certainly appreciate it. Before we get going, and Andy, this is going to be a fun show,

Starting point is 00:01:15 just because there's a fun night. Lakers played wildly entertaining. Short-handed Lakers played a wildly entertaining game in Toronto. 123-120 is the final score there. Buzzer-beater by Rui Hachamora. Do need to let people know before we start that today's episode is brought to by Fan duel. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit FanDuel.com place your NFL live bets all season long. So we've got to talk about the buzzer

Starting point is 00:01:43 beater. We've got to talk about LeBron James and the end of his streak in kind of a poetic fashion. We've got to talk about Luca Donchich, who may or may not be with the team this weekend. But Andy, we got to talk about Austin Reeves because once again in a game where Luca Donchich wasn't there. Still personal reasons. Austin Reeves didn't just step up. He flat dominated. Again, this has become the ball.

Starting point is 00:02:14 You could unplay. This was a true star performance from Austin Reeves. 44 points, 13 to 21 from the field, 5 of 11 from behind the arc, 13 of 15 from the line, 10 assists, five rebounds. His third quarter alone, like this would have been a pretty decent showing for a game,

Starting point is 00:02:37 but third quarter alone, 22 points, a career high for a quarter, five of six from the field, three of four from behind the arc, got to the line nine times, 11 times made nine of them. Two assists, he drew an off-ball foul. Like there was a sequence for Austin

Starting point is 00:02:53 beginning roughly the six-minute mark of the third quarter, and the Raptors are up 82 to 81. Austin draws a pair of free throws, hits them both, then later hits a logo three. I mean, this one was deep. And he shot this thing, no hesitation. It had to clear customs, Andy, it was so far away.

Starting point is 00:03:14 Emmanuel quickly then, ironically, quickly answers with a three. Austin Reeves immediately matches that one with a three. He then sets up LeBron for a bucket. it. He then gets filed on a three-point attempt, makes all three of the free throws. He draws, I believe, another off-ball foul, had an and-one jumper that he's filed on. Free throw is sunk. By about the two-minute mark of the third quarter, the Lakers are up 99-91. I mean, this was like a four-minute period where Austin really on both sides of the ball, because he was making things happen on the other end, too, necessarily with individual defense, but just activity.

Starting point is 00:03:59 He drew two critical charges in the fourth quarter. Yeah, he just, this was such a just tremendous game on a night where, you know, we're still feeling out. We're going to talk about LeBron, you know, it is very clear. You may disagree with me, but I said, I had my concerns heading into this and this game did nothing to assuage them. LeBron is still working himself back to wherever the highest point can be physically. Oh, yeah.

Starting point is 00:04:28 He said as much after the game. He is clearly nowhere close to where he wants to be or where the Lakers wanted to be. He still made some incredible plays in this game, which we'll talk about. But with LeBron, not LeBron at the moment, other than as a playmaker, and Luca not there, they needed somebody to step in big time to start this road trip against a good Raptors team on the heels of one of the worst performances they've had Monday against the Suns. And Austin was him, man. Austin was him. He was incredible in this game. And this has just been the pattern for Reeves this year. And I know there are, you know,

Starting point is 00:05:09 the Lakers fan base is vast. It is, it is, it is, it contains multitudes. You got people who love. love LeBron, you got people who hate LeBron, you have people who love Austin Reeves, you got people who think Reeves sucks and only piles up numbers against bad teams. It's a 15-win Raptors team that was focused on exclusively on him. It wasn't like, you know, he had two or three other guys that were drawing all the attention. Austin Reeves was without question the offensive focal point of the Lakers, and he once again, when Luca wasn't there, lifted them to this win. And I just, you know, in tennisists,

Starting point is 00:05:56 it's not like he was just, you know, chucking all over the floor, he had ten assists. And this, I, this, I, there, the LeBron part of it, like, in terms of what I'm about to say, it's not 100% this, because LeBron was also clearly, could see, like, all right, I am not capable right now. I am not going to help my team if I try to take over in the fourth quarter.

Starting point is 00:06:24 But it was really stark to see LeBron, you know, in critical possessions, like Austin's ball. Austin's on the ball. Austin's initiating wherever. I'm going to set screens for them. I'm going to, you know, I'm going to pop, you know, from weak side to strong side. I'm going to do stuff to help. But this is Austin Reeves show to orchestrate in the fourth quarter. And that has not always been the case.

Starting point is 00:06:50 like, you know, LeBron maybe gives up some of those shots, but, you know, he's going to start with the ball in his hands or something like that and find a way to get it to AR, whatever. No, no, no, no. It was very, very clear where, what the pecking order was here. And that, I thought, was both, you know, it was just obviously jumps off the screen, not just for me, I'm sure. But it is, it's really reinforces just how. high Austin has ascended and and LeBron talks about it all the time, how much respect

Starting point is 00:07:29 LeBron has for the skill level in Austin's game. There's a trust he has in Austin. He's had it for a while. He's had it for a few years. This is the most stark, for lack of a better way of putting it, the most stark example of how much he is willing to put the ball. if it's not in Lucas hands in Austin's hands. And he did some of this last year, you know,

Starting point is 00:07:54 even as Anthony Davis was becoming the number one option offensively for the team, LeBron was still seating some degree of playmaking offensive responsibility to Austin. But right now, especially, you know, it's funny too. Like you still, the final play of the game, which we're going to talk about LeBron's streak ending and Rui Hachamora hitting the game winner because there was poetry, there was poetry in the way this went down for both LeBron and Rui, given what had happened in Monday's game with both of them. But the possession started with Austin bringing the ball up the court

Starting point is 00:08:39 and eventually drawing two defenders. He swings the ball to LeBron. LeBron drives, and he had already been signaling to Rui get to. the corner. I'm going to be getting you the ball, but he drives dishes to Rui, Rui hits the corner three as the buzzer sounds and the Lakers win the game. But as Austin was bringing the ball up, he said afterwards, he's like, I'm going to, you know, I got to be real. I'm going to come clean. He actually thought the Lakers were down a point when he was bringing the ball up. And LeBron actually had to clarify to him. I don't think LeBron even realized that

Starting point is 00:09:13 Austin thought this, but he was saying like one shot, one shot. And Austin, and then realize like, oh, crap, the score's tied. So like you start, and that's where you still, like, the value of LeBron who recognizes everything, even as smart a player as Austin has become. And, you know, clearly he was in his bag and under control in this game. It's still a reminder of how handy it is to have LeBron around. Like that moment, Austin was laughing. The old man still there.

Starting point is 00:09:42 It was. And this game just had a lot of stuff. It had a play where the Lakers, like four Lakers. walked off the floor, assuming there was a timeout, except Austin who went down and scored. Like, there's just, and, you know, we'll talk about LeBron. Scotty Barnes was screaming at the other Raptors. Like, get back, get back here.

Starting point is 00:09:59 Austin ended up going one-on-three on that play. So funny is the basket that he made there, and, I mean, Austin really had to muscle this thing up, and you don't typically think of Austin as one of those, it's more of like a LeBron type of land. But when Austin did, did that. I was so taken aback by him actually making that basket in that type of traffic. I didn't even realize in real time the whole everyone else thinks it's a timeout thing.

Starting point is 00:10:28 I thought Austin was just feeling it and decided Yolo, I'm going, you know. I was just like, where'd everybody go? I just thought. I thought Austin called Leroy Jenkins and just said, I'm doing it, man. But, you know, so we're going to talk about LeBron. We got to talk. We're going to talk about Rui. We're going to talk about Jake La Ravia.

Starting point is 00:10:47 You know, this was genuinely a team win. And, you know, you could tell they were pleased after it. You could tell JJ Redick was pleased after it. Like, this was a fantastic team win short-handed against a good Raptors team on the front end of a back-to-back where you got to get this win because you don't exactly know who's playing this weekend. So plenty more. pack, including the end, Andy, of 1,267? Is that what the number was? Something like that, man. It goes back to January 2007. We'll get into all of it next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by DoorDash. The season's heating up, and DoorDash has a way to

Starting point is 00:11:37 keep fans in their bag all the way through. Whether you're watching the highlights, the tunnel fits, or just your favorite player. DoorDash makes the entire season more fun. Every player has their bag. With DoorDash, fans have won, too. keeps your snacks stocked, your gear fresh, and the watch party vibes on point. And there are going to be those nights where your team stresses you out. So let DoorDash become your postgame therapy. Sometimes you just need dessert right now, like now. Or snacks, you need cups for the post game beverages.

Starting point is 00:12:08 Or sometimes you just got to send your friend the phone charger, the guy that's always at 2%. But you guys always text about the game afterwards. That's the good luck ritual to keep momentum going. So from tip off to overtime, stay in your bag, order on DoorDash. Get snacks, drinks, and gear, whatever gets you through the season, delivered right to your door. DoorDash, in your bag, all season long. It was actually 1,297.

Starting point is 00:12:41 A six is just a lazy nine. You talk about almost 1,300 games. in a row of scoring double-digit points. And, you know, there is a larger conversation here, and, you know, we had it to some degree going into Thursday's game. We'll probably have it coming out of the weekend's games because it doesn't seem like, you know, it doesn't seem like, you know, LeBronze is going to snap his fingers and it's going to be fixed.

Starting point is 00:13:16 It's a process. He said after the game, I am, you know, it's all unprecedented. I've never had to do this before. I'm not where I want to be. It's going to take a minute. You know, he said it. So if he thinks that I certainly am willing to take a minute. I mean, I thought it anyway.

Starting point is 00:13:33 So I'm. I mean, I was 100% like, yeah, like, you know, this is going to take a month or whatever. But like, if he's, if he's agreeing with me, then, you know, we all got to give it some time. But, you know, there, we were wondering if he was going to lose the streak the other night. you know, when he was sitting on two points at halftime. And clearly had to kind of labor to get there. The Lakers weren't, we're getting their butts kicked against Phoenix. And so, you know, they could sort of afford to let LeBron get to 10.

Starting point is 00:14:06 But this is a close game. And, you know, LeBron was sitting on six points, I think it was going into the fourth. And he took, he was aggressive taking, I thought, good shots. but, you know, couldn't get the three to fall over five from three-point range. He was aggressive in taking, you know, shots when they were available in the third quarter sort of try to get going. And none of them, none of them went down. And at that point, you could see him switch strategies. Be like, all right, I am not forcing it.

Starting point is 00:14:42 It was clearly not going to force his way to 10 in this game. He essentially stopped shooting in the fourth quarter and played a role as a, facilitator and a passer. And it is kind of, I think, poetic that the streak ends on a play where LeBron not only could have tried to make a bucket, but could have made a bucket to win the game to get to 10 points. But instead made that pass to Rui Hachamora, who, you know, it's the right basketball play. It looked very similar to the Danielle Marshall pass a thousand years ago. When, by the way, the streak might have actually been going. I don't remember the exact year.

Starting point is 00:15:22 Probably was. I'm just saying, I don't remember the exact year of the Donnell Marshall Pass. I'm just saying it is not out of the question that that pass and that play that happened, you know, during roughly the Kennedy administration, that might have been part of the streak. It's funny, though. But like, that was the, that was the origin story, really, of the making the right play. And right, it's still doing it. It launched a thousand skip bailesses.

Starting point is 00:15:50 And I just, I love, I love. And if, you know, honestly, and if he misses the shot, they go into overtime and he's got even more opportunities to get to 10. I just, I love that this is how the streak ended. Yeah, I mean, I don't quite agree with you that he had stopped shooting in the fourth quarter. He took six shots in the fourth quarter. Like, I don't mean that. I mean, I may be transposing some of my shots that I thought were in the third. Yeah, I mean, and I found the stretch, he was like, I.

Starting point is 00:16:20 as I said the first segment, seeding control of the offense to Austin and played a secondary facilitator. Right. I just want to make it clear because he didn't actually stop shooting. He took 17 shots in this game. And I want to make it perfectly clear. I don't think it had anything to do with the streak or trying to reach 10. As you said, I don't think these were forced shots. It was just very clear in this four for 17 night. And it was clear early. on in this game. He did not have it. He looked other than the passing, which was fantastic this entire night. He had 11 assists against zero turnovers. And I mean, he threw some passes tonight that were vintage LeBron. He threw, he had drawn doubles during his part in the fourth quarter

Starting point is 00:17:11 where he was essentially the lone ball handler on the floor. And it is a reminder, you know, We've talked about this before that great players, defenders around the league, are just hardwired to throw doubles at them, sometimes more, even on nights when they don't have it. They threw a triple at them on the Lillabia, on the pass he made to Loravia. That was a triple. That's the one that I was about to talk about. He had two and then someone else coming over. And he threaded this pass cross-court bouncer to Loravia, perfect. Like he had some vintage LeBron playmaking in this game.

Starting point is 00:17:47 And this is the type of stuff. And I tweeted about this at Cam Brothers. Like LeBron will be able to make high level passes into his 50s. Like he will be able to do this forever. But everything else in this game, and I don't mean just the shooting. I mean the way he was moving, there was a time where he, there was a sequence where he attempted to draw a charge. And he got over late and it was called blocking and the Lakers challenged it. And I knew they were going to lose and they did end up losing.

Starting point is 00:18:18 Like there was a couple times where he grabbed a rebound and before he could secure it, it got poked out of his hand. Like he just, he was physically out of sorts in this game at times, to be perfectly honest. It looked to me like his confidence was a little bit shaky. Like his body language in the game was in ways that I, not like negative body language, which was more just like, you could see at times on his face, like, what the hell has happened in now? Well, it's that, it's a frustration also too.

Starting point is 00:18:49 It's a what do I do? Right. It's, you know, do I try to, you know, power through? Do I, what is the right way for me to play this? There were times I was watching LeBron on the court, and his body language looked almost nervous. Even though I know LeBron was not nervous during this game, it almost looked nervous just because he was, frankly, out of sorts.

Starting point is 00:19:13 But the final play, the one that he threw to Rui, the past Rui that set up the game winner, you know, it was the correct basketball play in the sense that your best three-point shooter is wide open. You've set this up to suck the defense into the lane so you can get Rui wide open. He's out there to make those type of shots. But it was also, honestly, the correct play. Because this was not a night where you could be confident LeBron couldn't make that shot. Like it was the correct play on two levels.

Starting point is 00:19:44 Well, it was him passing up a hard shot for, you know, if LeBron's playing well, that's a hard shot. But when LeBron. Right, but LeBron playing well, though. LeBron playing well, you will have a certain amount of confidence that even with people in the paint, he's LeBron James. Oh, I would much rather have Ruey take that corner three. question. I would rather him take the corner three, too, but I'm just saying there have been countless games in LeBron's career where even if it's not the quote-unquote right basketball play, you can at least feel confident with LeBron taking it or take your chances with LeBron

Starting point is 00:20:26 taking it. This was also the correct basketball play, not just because it's the finger-cote's correct one. It was the correct play because this was not a night for LeBron to take that shot anyway. I agree. That's what I'm getting. I guess what I was mean about. Right. Kudos to him, man, for it is poetic that this guy who's had this long, you know, insanely long double-digit scoring streak who is at heart first and foremost a playmaker. That's really who he is.

Starting point is 00:20:55 That's really who he's wired to be first and foremost, that the streak would end setting up a game-winning shot for, I'm sure we'll talk about this coming up next. the guy on this team that I think really needed that shot the most coming out of the game against Phoenix. So I'm getting into that coming up next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Fandul. NFL Sundays, they move fast. One big play, and suddenly everything feels different. And that's what makes live betting with Fanduel so exciting.

Starting point is 00:21:30 You're not just watching the game. You're reacting to it in real time. With Fandul, you can place bets as the actions unfold. drive, every momentum swing, every highlight moment. Live betting is best when the game starts to shift. A receiver gets hot, defense tightens up, or the momentum flips after a turnover. Fandul lets you jump into the moment with live spreads, money lines that adjust instantly, and player props that update as the guys heat up.

Starting point is 00:21:59 It keeps you locked into every snack, snap, snap, every drive and every possibility. So if you're going to every snack. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fandul.com and place your NFL live bets. It does make you hungry. Live bets can make a man hungry. All season long, fan duel, the game moves fast, and so can you.

Starting point is 00:22:30 You, I believe, were teeing up an homage to our friend Rui Hachamura at the end of the game. By the way, I should note our buddy, Chris McGee, Geeter on Spectrum Sportsnet, rightly pointed out that Japanese athletes in Los Angeles uniforms have been very unkind to Toronto. Yes, they certainly have. They certainly have. A lot of disappointment brought by Japanese athletes in representing Los Angeles. I have, I don't follow hockey.

Starting point is 00:23:10 So I have no idea. I don't think that's good. Well, I was going to say, I don't know how good the leaves are, and I don't know if there are any Japanese players on the Kings. But if there are any Japanese players on the Kings, the leaves, I don't care how good they are. They might as well just pack this thing in, man. It ain't their year. It's just not happening. But we talked a lot after the Phoenix game about it's not just that Rui went scoreless.

Starting point is 00:23:39 And it's not just that he took only one shot. Dude barely touched the ball the entire game. He had 16 touches in 23 minutes. That is insanely low. I mean, Jackson Hayes had as many touches in nine fewer minutes. Like, I think Dalton Connect had more. Like, Rui's usage for the game was 1.7 for the first quarter. It was zero.

Starting point is 00:24:07 And Rui is not a complainer. Rui is a pretty positive guy. He is a very popular guy in that locker room. He's very beloved by teammates. He ain't a boat rocker. Rui's made it very clear. He wants to be a Laker for the rest of his career. He wants to go nowhere.

Starting point is 00:24:26 And that's what made his postgame comments where he said, like, I don't remember in this game ever touching the ball. And like, I know I'm playing with Luca and LeBron and Austin, and I understand my place on this team and I get it. And at the same time, man, this isn't how we play good basketball. This isn't how you win. And it's like in so many words, what the bleep am I doing out here if I'm not going to get to shoot the ball at all? Like, we've talked before.

Starting point is 00:24:58 Touch it. Touch the ball. Talked before. Rui is not the guy you want out there for the proverbial little things. Like, that's not Rui's bag. Rui got more involved in this game, and it was fitting that given what happened on Monday, he got to have this moment. It's the first game winner of his NBA career. He did his post game holding onto that ball, and he was rightly really excited.

Starting point is 00:25:27 Yeah, I mean, he didn't even do. Remember in the Thero game where he wanted the ball and they had to, like, fight young. or like fight the bucks and then yonis got a bad like ruy just took that thing and took off before any raptors could get up i just have to declare that when they come back through customs you know one one stolen basketball um you know so we'll see how that goes but mounties will be after him they I just, you know, Jake LaRavia played great in this game. Rui had a bounceback game. There are certain times, like, you know, you and I are quite lucky that, like, you know,

Starting point is 00:26:10 whether it's going to games, whether it's, you know, watching games, we're like, you know, the worst Laker game that we had to go to, like, wherever we're still going to basketball games for your job. Neither one of us were going to be that guy who complains about it. But like this was just genuinely fun to be able to watch. There was like good minutes from a do thiro. There was just, you know, that block that La Ravia had in the fourth quarter, just talk about a guy not giving up on a play.

Starting point is 00:26:46 And, you know, easily could have just said, like, it's too close to the basket for me to try to block it. This was a play on the rim. And by the way, it was set up. Leravia, if you missed it, blocked Mamu Kalashvili at the rim. And the play was set up because I think it was Reeves. Yes, it was.

Starting point is 00:27:08 I forget it was either Barnes or quickly or something. Austin got stripped, but he got back. He made him make the pass backwards to Mamu. and that was enough for La Ravia to get. So it was like two things. These guys played so hard in this game. Nick Smith Jr., who also had really good moment. Nick hasn't played in a while and short-handed.

Starting point is 00:27:34 This was a potential opportunity for him. And he had a sequence where I don't remember if the Lakers either missed a shot in Toronto was running off it or they turned the ball over. but Nick Smith, Jr. got back, broke up a fast break. Then he took the ball up court. And this whole time you could tell he was like, I am putting this bleeper up. I am putting this bleep and shot up. And I remember this whole time I'm like, man, you better make that shot, Nick.

Starting point is 00:28:04 You better make that shot because you have not looked at anybody else as you've had the ball. And to his credit, man. And this wasn't a player where everybody went to the bench thinking it was a timeout. No, no, no, no. There were options. Let me tell you who called number 20 Nick Smith Jr's number. It was Nick Smith Jr. He had 12 points in this game, four of seven from the field,

Starting point is 00:28:29 hit a couple threes. He had two steals. And again, one of the best defensive plays of this game, you mentioned to do Thero. His 10 minutes verified Jared Vanderbilt ain't never playing again the rest of this season. But I will say this. if JJ is willing to play Thero, who is very much a Vando-type player, and he is willing to ride out some of the inevitable rookie mistakes,

Starting point is 00:28:56 I liked what I saw from Thero in 10 minutes, man. His first shift in particular was really good. That reverse layup he had anything, you know, four points. It was, he almost jumped too far. Like I'm watching it going, he's too far. away from the basket. Like he he cleared on it was it was just like I mean granted it's it's it's it's not hard to stick out as super athletic when you play for the Lakers because you know the

Starting point is 00:29:29 guys around you are doing you in favor in that regard. But he's just he is so bouncy in ways that that that the rest of the team isn't. I just there are certain teams that are very good. and you just you you you know you respect them you you know you acknowledge the talent you they may not necessarily be fun they may not always be super easy to root for um this team is both shaping up to be pretty good i don't know how far they're going to go but they're pretty good team you know 16 wins and um you know and then and playing well they're a fun team to watch and they're a fun team to watch an easy team to root for.

Starting point is 00:30:17 Yeah, absolutely. They've been really enjoyed so far. I mean, there's been a few clonkers in the same way. You and I have covered championship teams. And I know people in memory holders stuff to where, you know, Kobe and POW never ever had an off game or took a game off or Showtime. I promise you they did. And Brian and I were at basically every single.

Starting point is 00:30:42 Brian and I were at basically. every single home game of the second half of Kobe's career, more at least 80% of those games. And as far as the Kobe Pow years, we were basically at every single one of those. I promise you, there were games that they took off. But still, like,

Starting point is 00:31:02 they're fun, man. This group is a lot of fun. They've coalesced together in really good ways. They support each other. You could see how excited everyone was for Rui. in this moment. I think they all recognize, like,

Starting point is 00:31:16 man, Rui Dersersers more than what. Rui Hachamara should never have just one shot in a game. Like that's BS on our part. Like that's BS on our part. That's ridiculous.

Starting point is 00:31:28 So, and they were happy for him. LeBron was a static for Rueh. A static for it. They, Rui said after the game, LeBron said, like,

Starting point is 00:31:37 it's going to be you. Like, it's, you know, and, you know, it's not shocked. and LeBron sort of seeing how these things are going to set up, whatever, you know, can anticipate this coming.

Starting point is 00:31:48 But they like each other. We've covered, we've been around sports and covered enough teams that, you know, you can tell when they're either sort of faking it or if you want to go back, you know, to the way back machine, some of the Dodgers teams we covered. Not even bothering trying to fake it. Like these guys, no, they actually wouldn't go. They went out of their way to let us know just how much they didn't like each other. You hear the way Luca talks about AR in press conferences and like the jabs that they, you know, they'll sort of take at each other. You heard there was a great clip post game where, you know, JJ was criticizing his team and talking about it like, and kind of poke fun at him because like we keep throwing lobs to white guys. You know, and all, you know, it's just they, they, they.

Starting point is 00:32:42 They enjoy each other's company. They enjoy this thing. And as Austin said after the games, like, you spend a year. Like, it's cliche, but they see more of each other than they do their families. And it's not even close. And just the whole thing. Like, I am enjoying this because, you know, the Lucas stuff is incredible. A.R.'s season so far has been a phenomenal story.

Starting point is 00:33:10 We haven't talked about DeAndre Aid, but he was great. on John Reed was really good tonight. Both sides of the ball was really good. And like that's a great storyline. You know, but they also have had these great moments when their stars aren't playing. Like I don't, there's no indication that Luca will be back in time for the four o'clock local, you know, West Coast time tip off of the game against the Celtics. There's a good chance LeBron won't play in that game because they've already talked about how he's not ready to play back to backs yet. And we'll see if smart plays or is at least some thought that maybe he could.

Starting point is 00:33:48 I, you know, and we'll see if Lucas back for Sunday. Like, who knows? But the, it's, you know, you still feel like when they're going to give you a decent game, even when those guys don't play. They might get their butts kicked, who's to say? But they'll give you the real effort. and you always have this feeling. Like somebody's going to do something

Starting point is 00:34:14 while these guys are out. You're going to get a quote-unquote Nick Smith game, whether you're from Nick Smith or someone else. I'm really enjoying this team, you know, a quarter of the way through the season or wherever we are. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:34:26 It is a fun team to have to watch play 82 times. Yeah. 21 games in, man. It's been a lot of fun. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is we're going to go hang out with over 37,000 subscribers to the channel. Lakers, of course, playing the hated Celtics on Friday afternoon, both teams, Friday afternoon on the West Coast at least, both teams will be on the second night

Starting point is 00:34:51 of a back-to-back. The Lakers having had worked significantly harder to win their half. I don't know if Jalen Brown will be available. He's been dealing with some illness and didn't play in this game. They didn't need him. They won by 40 or something. So the Celtics had a laugher on Thursday. So they'll be a little fresher than the Lakers won't be traveling as far either. So, well, we'll see. But still Lakers versus Celtics, and we of course will be back to recap it after it's over. We'll see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Austin Reaves Scores 44, Rui Hachimura Hits Game Winner, Lakers WIn 123-120

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.