Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron Triple Double (28/10/12) Leads Lakers to Win, 33-21 Heading to All-Star Break

Starting point is 00:00:00 A LeBron James triple double leads the Lakers to a win Thursday night. They head into the break 33 and 21. We'll tell you why you should feel good. We'll tell you why you shouldn't feel good. You get to decide. That's next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:25 Part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Lockedon Lakers. First listen to every day Monday through Friday no matter how or where you get your podcasts. Maybe you're a Spotify guy. Maybe you're an Apple guy. Maybe you're one of the 37,000 plus subscribers to the Lockdowne Lakers

Starting point is 00:00:45 YouTube channel no matter how you do it, no matter how you get in this podcast, which now appears weekdays, Mondays, Fridays, twice a day. I mean, there's a lot of content here, people. We're like a high school football team doing two a days. Yeah, it's training camp time, except training camp lasts like eight months. Just eight? What are you talking about? We are not doing two shows a day in the off season.

Starting point is 00:01:11 We're not. You hear that. We're not doing it. You hear that lock? That's right. Come and get me. You know what? Why don't you concern yourself with your team that keeps getting fined?

Starting point is 00:01:24 Okay. Why don't you get you guys on the floor in the fourth quarter and leave our summer plans alone? Anywho, I forget where I was. Lockdown Lakers, 37,000. So I'm Brian Komenetsky with Andy Keminetsky. Cover the team for about 20 years with the ESPN, the LA Times, the athletic. This is always an interview. Now we are with, by the way, the number one sports podcast network.

Starting point is 00:01:49 That's what I forgot. I got sidetracked. Yeah. Yep. And it's going to stay that way, even if we only do one show a day this summer. So throughout the time, Andy, that we've covered the Lakers and the NBA. it has become abundantly clear that the last day before

Starting point is 00:02:09 the All-Star break is essentially like the last, like you used to treat you out there and you, Andy, used to treat the last day of school. It's like you're there, but you're not always there. So we will break down what turned into a good result

Starting point is 00:02:25 for the Lakers Thursday night. They beat Dallas 124-104-bunded triple-double from LeBron James. We'll give you some health updates on Luca Dantritch and DeAndre neither of whom played in this game. And of course, the Lakers go into the break 33 and 21, which is good. And it's also worrisome depending on your point of view.

Starting point is 00:02:46 So, but let's start with the game, Andy. LeBron James turns back the clock. This was, you know, as complete of a game as he's played this season. He finishes with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists. And he knew that 10th rebound, what it represented. I mean, nobody getting in the way of that one. A.R. stole one from him. I was going to say, ain't nobody getting in the way of it after Austin Reeves did get in the way of LeBron's previous chance at a 10th rebound.

Starting point is 00:03:14 There happened to be a timeout called after that. And Austin apologized to LeBron. He did not realize in the moment. Like, these guys are all aware, like whether you're talking about the player on the verge of a triple double, a lot of teammates, stuff like that. Like, Austin just forgot in that moment. But when LeBron, it was like a possession or two later, got that 10th rebound, the entire bench stood up and applauded. It was LeBron's. I actually did not realize this, even though it makes sense.

Starting point is 00:03:48 I just hadn't really thought about it. It was his first triple double of this season. He's come close before, but he had not had one. Bunker's stat, and we can drill down on some of this, peel back some of the layers of the onion. this is career number 123 for triple doubles for LeBron. Tonight marked LeBron's 1,59th game for his career. I did the math. That means LeBron has averaged a triple double every 13th time he has stepped on the court.

Starting point is 00:04:25 Pretty good. That is effing bonkers, people. It's right up there with those numbers like you see where they break it down and you realize LeBron has played with or against like 33% of the players who have played in the NBA in its entire history. You know what's funny too? During the Spectrum Sportsnet broadcast, they noted that it was, you know, the 123rd of LeBron's career and that he's had 50 against the Lakers. And I thought about it. I was like, you know what? You and I... Triple doubles? That's if I, assuming I... No, there's no way LeBron has had 50 triple doubles against the Lakers.

Starting point is 00:05:02 Then I guess I mean. Maybe with, but not against. Okay, yes, that's what it was. 50. I guess it was 50 with. You're right. You're right. It's not J.J.

Starting point is 00:05:11 Berrea, Andy. No, no, no. You're correct. He spent too much time in the Eastern Conference. But just 50 with one. He played the Lakers 50 times. Yeah, no, no. You're right.

Starting point is 00:05:25 You're right. But 50 just with one team in and of itself is absolutely crazy. crazy. Like that type of production sustained for that long goes without saying also the oldest player in NBA history to ever record a tournament. It's just, it's really, really remarkable stuff. It is. And I know there are a lot of people who aren't huge LeBron fans and are ready for the experience to be over. And look, Andy and I get it. We have these conversations with each other, with you guys all the time, but there are times when you just have, like, whether you like the guy or hate the guy, you have to pause and recognize what games like this are. I do also want to

Starting point is 00:06:11 let you know that today's episode's brought to you by Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. I bet you wish you'd use Game time to get to the game at the Crypt on Thursday. You know, JJ talked about it after the game. You know, the oldest guy to do blank is something that LeBron does basically every time he plays at this point. And it's all very impressive. But just the, and LeBron got a little nostalgic about this stuff too and kind of broke it all down and talked about the process of what goes into this and what he still enjoys after the game. But JJ said, and he said it a few times, like I am most impressed by the fact that in year 23 with like a billion dollars. in the bank, like basically.

Starting point is 00:06:59 I'm not exaggeratingly. If you believe the reports, it's not an exaggeration at all. Right. And let's say they're 30% short. He's still comfortable. I mean, his career earnings, I'm looking them up right now. I believe the career earnings are like half a billion by themselves.

Starting point is 00:07:18 And that's before you even get into endorsements. Yeah. Per diem that he's pocketed, all that sort of stuff. I was trying to figure out the other day exactly the volume of chalk that he has thrown in the air over the course of his career figuring it like two teaspoons

Starting point is 00:07:38 or a teaspoon and a half or a tablespoon every game like just the quantity of chalk that is over the course of 23 seasons like they're just all of these numbers are just absolutely freaking insane But JJ talked about it. It's close to really quick.

Starting point is 00:07:57 It's close to 600 billion per basketball reference in salary alone. And that's before you get to all the other stuff. And think how much it would be if he had a podcast. Well, he did for a little while. That's true. You got to sustain it. The big money, Andy, as everyone knows, comes in when you sustain it. Right.

Starting point is 00:08:18 When you shows a day. Exactly. Exactly. That's how you end up part of the number one sports network anyway. That's right. You're adding shorts. You don't a lot of shorts. Short form content.

Starting point is 00:08:31 When me, you and LeBron get together, that's a lot of billions getting thrown around. It is. Just the fact that you care. Like, you still care enough to kind of do the work that it requires to be good and engaged. And all these. It is, it's just. it's it's it's it's insane and yeah look no luka in this game no d'Andre aton in this game um the lakers got actually a lot of good performances uh across the roster a bunch of people played well in this

Starting point is 00:09:07 game but they needed somebody to kind of step up and do it and like we talked about this in uh in thursday show like lebron i think can't be counted on is unfair to count on lebron to do this kind of stuff every night like he used to in his prime of primes, his floor on a nightly basis is clearly lower than it used to be from 48 minutes. It's not necessarily lower for like 12 minutes of a quarter. We've seen him crank that up. But when it appears, it's still there. And, you know, there are nights.

Starting point is 00:09:42 Tonight was a good one where they absolutely needed it. And it also helped too really quick. It also helped. And I'm sure we'll talk about this after the break. LeBron got some nice support on a night where he was definitely leading the charge, but it didn't feel like he was carrying the team. And there's a big difference because that ultimately allows LeBron to be this version of himself. Yeah, and I want to get into some of those performances because, you know,

Starting point is 00:10:09 Austin Reeves had a perfectly nice game still working with those restrictions and stuff like that coming off the bench, which hopefully, by the way, by the time we get back from the All-Star break, will be over. But, you know, it wasn't AR with 38 points or something like that that was helping support LeBron. It was the other guys around the roster. We'll break down some of those good performances and tell you why this one was a bit of a roller coaster that had JJ Reddick fuming at halftime. So that's all next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Fandul. The winner games are officially here. And if you're anything like us, you are locking in for events that you can only see on the biggest stage every four years. And that's why following the winter games on

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Starting point is 00:13:07 It's indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply hiring, hiring, do it the right way with Indeed. the Lakers frustrated the bleep out of J.J. Reddick in the first half of this game because every time it looked like they were going to pull ahead, you know, build a lead. They gave it up. Like if you, it was, it was a weird game to watch because the Lakers kind of, they weren't turning the ball over. They weren't doing the things that they often do, Andy, that are obvious. well, that's why the other team's back in the game. They just sort of took their foot off the gas,

Starting point is 00:13:52 looked ahead to the break, whatever it was in that first half, and it prevented them from building and maintaining a comfortable lead. And like I said, JJ at halftime was livid. So livid, in fact, that he did not do the standard halftime couple questions with our buddy Mike Trudell for the Spectrum SportsNet Broadcast, which forget the fact that I've never seen JJ Reddick do that before.

Starting point is 00:14:19 I don't recall a coach ever doing that before. Maybe it's happened, but off the top of my head and you and I have covered this team for a long time, I don't recall a Lakers coach ever saying, nope, not doing it because I'm too pissed off. They always say, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. But as they come out in the third quarter,

Starting point is 00:14:41 JJ was asked about this. What did you tell them at the half? We challenged the typical style. We challenged them to be better. We challenged them to be more consistent defensively. In the second half, Lakers gave up 41 points. 19 and the third, 22 in the fourth. That was a much better defensive performance.

Starting point is 00:15:05 And that's what allowed them the third quarter. They won handily. They build out a lead. and they didn't let Dallas back in at that point. You mentioned some good performances. I know there were a few that stuck out to me, but where would you want to start in terms of the really good supporting performances in this one?

Starting point is 00:15:26 I thought Jackson Hayes was terrific in this game. 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, a block, countless other shots that he altered in the lane. I thought he was super, super, super, active on both ends of the floor. There was a sequence where he, I believe, either he or someone else, missed a shot at the rim.

Starting point is 00:15:51 And Jackson got back fast enough that he actually broke up an alley-up lob at the other basket because he just hauled ass back so quickly. And then I'm pretty sure is off the top of my head, but Jackson ended up scoring on the next possession. he had several really emphatic dunks in this game. This was just a really, really good performance. Maybe a show topic for a different day, but it did get me wondering,

Starting point is 00:16:21 given what's been going on with DeAndre Aiton and his inconsistencies over the last month and a half, which side note, I mentioned this in Thursday's show, I have wondered if maybe, given now, that DeAndre has missed three of the last four games because of this lingering knee soreness and five games due to knee soreness in 2026. If maybe the knee soreness might be what's fueling this inconsistency more than what the DeAndre Aiton's skeptics automatically assume, which is just reversion to form.

Starting point is 00:17:01 But regardless, it has got me wondering if Jackson would be more reliable you know, both, I guess, most importantly in JJ Redick's eyes, but also I guess in ours trying to prognosticate, if say he needed, if they needed to give him a larger role in the playoffs, would he be more capable of handling it in this postseason than last? Well, yeah, maybe we'll do that for the, for Friday's mini show. So you may have heard in the first segment, we're doing multiple shows of data, but not in the summertime.

Starting point is 00:17:34 it's certainly a topic that's been on the mind of Lakers fans. So, yeah, I agree with you. This was this was as good of a game as Jackson has played this season in a season where he's played a lot of good games. He's been really good this year. Yeah, he has. And I think that's part of the conversation that you're really leading into there. But, you know, really-

Starting point is 00:17:58 He lost 26 in this game, man. That's excellent. Played 34 minutes, too. It's like 34 minutes for him is a lot. Even when he has to start games because, you know, the starting center is out for whatever reason, this, that kind of heavy minutes is the usually is the exception for sure. And not the rule of someone like Jackson.

Starting point is 00:18:23 Rui Hachamura, 21 points, very strong. It was like a very Rui line. 21 points, 9 of 13 from the floor, three of four from three point range, three rebounds, one assist. But, you know, he was active and he was working. And Ruey actually boxes out. He's not a great rebound.

Starting point is 00:18:39 He does. He does box out. His box out rates, if you can find those numbers or are, last time I checked, at least pretty good. I thought, you know, when I mentioned AR, perfectly good performance from him over 28 minutes. But, you know, Luke Kinnard. Yes, he did. For a lot of the game, the team's leading rebounder before LeBron kind of started catching up on the to the triple double. The team's leading rebounder was Luke Kinnart. He only had he had nine points.

Starting point is 00:19:07 He didn't take a ton of shots and not in a keeps passing up opportunities kind of way, but he had seven rebounds, three assists. He was a plus 13 in 18 minutes. He is a really smart. I realize it's you know, you're starting to play in his stereotypes when you call the the white guy with thinning hair who's a marksman shooter. a smart basketball player. But he is. I mean, he just does a lot of stuff that, depending on what your team needs are,

Starting point is 00:19:42 really make a difference. The fact that he- Particularly if there's sneaky athleticism or bringing the intangibles. That's right. If you're looking for someone who plays the right way, may I introduce you to learn. Or somebody who plays the accordion.

Starting point is 00:20:00 It looks like he might play that too. That was a good game from Conard. I thought Vando was a really nice game for Jared Vanderbilt as well. It was. And so, like, you mentioned that before, like getting the supporting performances is just really, it's a big deal. And that can be points, that can be rebounds, it can be strong defense, not turning the ball over, whatever it might be.

Starting point is 00:20:27 You know, the proverbial stars in their roles, that is particularly necessary with Luca out of the lineup. Because you don't, you know, AR is still, they're trying to keep them under 30 minutes a night. And you just don't want to have to have LeBron carry you. Like you said, there's a difference between leading the team and carrying the team. And you don't want to make LeBron carry you very much anymore. No.

Starting point is 00:20:59 and he didn't in this game. And look, the quality of opponent matters for the games that you don't have Luca. You know, we saw against the thunder. LeBron and Austin both struggled to put forth complete games, but that's also against a team that a lot of people think at full strength has a really good shot at repeating. But games like this against the Mavericks are in their own right just as important because those are the games that you have to win. There are no excuses for not winning this game. So it's in its own right just as important for LeBron to lead the Lakers the way he did the night. It was just a really good performance for him. Health updates plus how do we feel about 33 and 21 at the break? Talk about that next.

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Starting point is 00:22:57 Download the GameTime app today. And remember, it's gametime.co, not.com. J.J. said, Andy, before the game, that they expect Luca to be okay coming out of the break. You know, I get a little squeamish when I get health updates from the Lakers. Still don't totally trust me to them when they tell me things. Totally. You don't totally trust them? I'm a generally trusting person.

Starting point is 00:23:34 I generally give people the benefit of the doubt. My wife thinks every time I leave the house, I'm going to sell the family cow for some magic beans. Well, thank God I'm the other host of the show because I don't even partially trust them. I don't believe a word they say. And also, it worked out, right? In that story, like they sold the magic beans.

Starting point is 00:23:54 He ends up getting the golden goose and they get rich, right? I don't remember. I forget how it ends. Most of those stories had really gruesome endings. So maybe I'm remembering the sanitized version. But let's assume that, I mean, there at least was a possibility before Thursday night that Luca might be able to play in this game.

Starting point is 00:24:15 We all know that he is very much trying to get himself in a position to participate, was the word that I saw used for Sunday's game, not play. and those I feel like those two things are not the same thing. You can operate the T-shirt gun? No, I feel like the All-Star game is the kind of game that you can participate in

Starting point is 00:24:38 without really playing. You know what, though? All joking aside, if Luca plays five minutes in this, I think the odds are pretty high. He will come out of it okay. It is optically not a great look for him to have missed four straight games

Starting point is 00:24:54 and then appear in this game, whether you think it ultimately is consequential or matters or not, I can tell you the optics are not going to go over well with Laker fans because I've heard from enough of them. Well, I guess. I don't know if I agree with that assessment. Like, it depends. If he plays 35 minutes and, you know,

Starting point is 00:25:15 he takes the floor doing like triple back flips and things like, okay, yeah, like you should have been playing earlier than that. If he comes out, plays five minutes, and basically O'Lay, his way through that, which is probably what it would look like. That's when I think fans need to step back and understand when guys feel like they have larger commitments to the league, to their fan base, to particularly a guy like Luca. I'm not arguing with you. I'm arguing with those people

Starting point is 00:25:48 whose argument you are conveying. I don't have a problem with that. And, you know, again, Remember who Luca is. Remember kind of who he represents and where he comes from and the importance that he has and he understands that he has, you know, internationally and all these other things. I think the counter argument would be if those obligations can be fulfilled by five minutes of screwing around, then how big of an obligation is it really? You know what I mean? Like really what is? No, I get it.

Starting point is 00:26:21 But it is appearing in the game. It is participating in the game and paying off even a little bit. Again, I do maintain that what he does in that game will probably be less work than he would be doing in his treatment and rehab. Otherwise, so we'll see. We'll see what happens. The other thing was DeAndre Aiton got a scan on his knee and it came back clean as what is the lingo that was used there. Again, the hope is that Aiton will be healthy. and available coming out of the break.

Starting point is 00:26:55 So if all of that happens, and if he's not, that becomes legitimately worrisome. Oh, yeah. No, now we're getting into Kendrick Nunn territory. Well, just that'll be like two-ish weeks or so, having played one game. And if he's still not ready from there,

Starting point is 00:27:12 then I realize the MRI came back clean, but something isn't right. Maybe they put him in the wrong scan. I don't know. But yeah, you're right. If he comes back healthy The Lakers, if I'm not mistaken, would, if both those guys are back,

Starting point is 00:27:31 finally have a full team and could finally get the big three on the floor and playing together and trying to push to the finish line with 28, I believe it would be 28 games left. These guys have not played together. If you are looking for reasons to be encouraged by a 33 and 21 record,

Starting point is 00:27:53 and you can look at the number of games missed by their stars this year, and that is one of those places that can make you feel significantly better. LeBron's missed 18, Lucas missed 12, Austin's missed 26. That's a lot of missed games from your three best players on a top heavy roster, and you're still 33 and 21. You're still in the mix for the top four. this has been a good season like particularly through the lens of everything you're describing if you're viewing this with any realistic expectations they've done very well have they been exceptionally impressive against elite competition no do they seem like an elite team you know waiting in the wings just to get everybody back and then all of a sudden all the problems are solved also no but how they have managed to get through this season, double-digit games above 500 with all of the obstacles that you are

Starting point is 00:28:58 describing. And even like when LeBron is back, you have to have those constant considerations of how you manage him at his age and his mileage through a season. We've had Luke on minutes limits. We've had Austin on minutes limits. We've had Rui on minutes limits, like that they've managed to do all of this. And I heard that don't on minutes limits. Yeah, I, I, I heard Zach Lowe talk about this on the most recent episode of Low Post podcast. He's like, you know, somehow the Lakers managed to keep staying in the top six every time it seems like they're about to fall.

Starting point is 00:29:38 And he's like that may sound like faint praise, but it's not. Like they are managing to make this thing work. And, you know, I realize that Laker. They are, you know, it's like a Pavlovian type thing where your expectation is always championship. And that's the way you evaluate everything. And for what it's worth, I've said before that I don't think that that is the realistic or healthy or sometimes even useful way to evaluate a season because it's just not how the world actually works. But you can have a good season without it being changed. championship worthy, particularly when everyone knows this has been kind of a gap year,

Starting point is 00:30:25 because they've recognized this offseason is where we think we can do the most effective work really building a championship roster around Luca. But if you are kind of biding your time up to that point, you could do it a hell of a lot worse in the way they have this season. I look at it this way. Like, do I believe the Lakers can play with the level of consistency required to reach a finals? No, I don't. Certainly not when you factor in.

Starting point is 00:31:04 They're going to have to beat probably Oklahoma City somewhere in there. You'd have to beat either Minnesota or Denver, probably somewhere in there or Houston or something like that. You have to beat two or three really good teams, one of which is elite when everybody is available. And I just don't think the Lakers have shown that level of consistency. If the question is, do I think the Lakers could play consistently enough if they have their big three healthy and all that stuff for one series to beat any of the teams in the top eight? my answer to that is yes I think the Lakers for a series

Starting point is 00:31:43 could be a very dangerous team and you know one series can turn into two series you know in any individual series the Lakers are going to be a very dangerous team if everybody is healthy because they're going to go into a series with Luca Donchich

Starting point is 00:31:59 who is playing MVP caliber basketball even if he's not going to win the MVP and I don't think he will you're going to have Austin Reeves who is playing all-star caliber basketball, even though he's not going to make the all-star team because of the injury. And you have LeBron James, who is an all-star. Like, he made the all-star team.

Starting point is 00:32:20 Like, is he playing at his peak? No. Is he, if you want to think of him kind of as the third best player? He's a pretty good third best player. And, you know, it is reasonable to believe that he could elevate a little bit the playoffs just based on previous performance. So in any given series, and that's not nothing to look forward to if you're a Lakers fan going into the postseason, you know, leave yourself open to a surprise.

Starting point is 00:32:48 I think possibilities are there. I think what's going to get in their way even in the first round, whoever they're playing, is just a lot of their opponents will have, I think, a higher margin for error. Much. Yes, absolutely. And they will be forced to play at the top of. of their game for more of the 48 minutes, then I would say somewhere between 80 to 100% of whoever of their likely opponents in the first round.

Starting point is 00:33:21 But, but then it becomes on them to actually do it. It becomes on Austin to raise his level in the playoffs from what we saw last year, which was not great for him. it's on LeBron to be able to summon what is still left in the tank in the most important moments because I thought last year in the playoffs he got tired. It's on Luca to be the playoff riser that he's been throughout his career. And everybody has to raise it up more because, again, their ceiling is not as high as they want it to be. and also their floor is not as high

Starting point is 00:34:03 as I think everyone expected, but to our original point, still a good team. They're a good team. I think what we're going to find is this is just going to be one of those situations when they get in the playoffs where Luke is going to have to be like he was leading Dallas to the finals

Starting point is 00:34:17 where he was just at a different level. And that is the thing that I think is going to elevate the Lakers, potentially. Certainly if they're going to make a run through more than one round, it's going to be ultimately on the back of Luca doing kind of super Luca stuff, which he is absolutely capable of. But the first thing is first thing.

Starting point is 00:34:40 They've got to get healthy over the break. We are looking forward to that. Locked on Liggers on YouTube. It's where you can go hang out with over 37,000 subscribers to the channel. I forgot to mention the Everydayer Club. Check out the show notes if you'd like to find out more about that. You get Discord access, talk to us, talk to other hosts. You also can get the show ad free.

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Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron Triple Double (28/10/12) Leads Lakers to Win, 33-21 Heading to All-Star Break

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