LOS ANGELES — With less than five minutes to go in the Lakers’ matchup against the Bucks, they found themselves in familiar territory.
It was their 14th clutch game, and with LeBron James on a roll and the home
crowd roaring in approval, it appeared the Lakers were on their way to another victory.
However, some poor late-game execution by LA, combined with an incredible block by Giannis Antetokounmpo and four free throw makes by Kevin Porter Jr., ensured that Milwaukee would be coming out of Crypto.com Arena with a win.
The 105-101 loss ended the Lakers’ unbeaten streak in clutch games and gave the team their second defeat in a row.
While silver linings are tough to find when a bitter defeat is involved, there were some positives to take from this game.
LeBron was sensational, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Lakers’ defense shut down the Bucks in the fourth quarter, holding them to 19 points. And LA shot well from beyond the arc, converting on 42% of their 3-point attempts.
However, one of the most impressive performances on Friday night came from the center spot. No, not from their starting big Deandre Ayton, but from their backup center, Jaxson Hayes.
Hayes is a player rarely mentioned or applauded for his impact.
Last season, he was the team’s starting center, but after a rough playoff series against the Wolves, he lost that spot as the Lakers upgraded with the acquisition of Ayton.
It would’ve been easy for Hayes to move on during free agency or to pout about the situation and become a disinterested bench player.
Instead, Hayes came back and has been a positive force for the purple and gold. He gained 20 pounds in the offseason and has used that weight to hold his own better defensively.
Hayes rarely gets pushed around in the paint anymore. Against the Bucks, he held his own with Myles Turner and the very physical Giannis.
Offensively, Hayes has always been an efficient shooter. But this year, he’s shooting a career-best 77%.
When combining his high field goal percentage, improved defense, and explosive athleticism, Hayes has forced Lakers head coach JJ Redick to keep him in late in games.
Hayes took over Ayton’s shift in LA’s win over Memphis, with Redick putting it as plain as day why he kept his backup in instead of his starting center.
“He was playing better,” Redick said after the victory against the Grizzlies.
Against the Bucks, it was a similar scenario. LA was in a close game and Hayes was doing everything, but mopping the floor to help the Lakers come out on top.
In the fourth, he was zipping around the floor, tagging the roller, stepping up to contest 3-pointers, cleaning the glass and making key assists.
His best sequence came midway through the fourth.
Hayes grabbed an offensive rebound off a Luka Dončić miss and tipped the ball back in, getting LA within two points after being down by as many as 12.
Redick never looked Ayton’s direction the rest of the quarter as he stayed with Hayes the rest of the way.
The result didn’t go in LA’s favor, but Hayes had a plus-minus of +9 in his 24 minutes of play. Only Dalton Knecht had a better plus-minus for the Lakers, and he was a +10 while playing just 13 minutes.
After the game, Luka praised Hayes’ play and improvement.
“I think we have a great chemistry,” Luka said. “Obviously, in the pick-and-roll. But like I said, two or three games ago, he has improved so much in everything. So, really glad that he’s on the team.”
Luka has Hayes multiple times this season. When Kris Dunn pushed Luka in a game agaisnt the Clippers, Hayes defended Luka and he appreciated it so much that he agreed to pay any fine that could come from the altercation.
Luka is also working with Hayes to get him eligible to play for the Slovenian national team.
Hayes might not be playing well enough to take over Ayton’s starting role, but raising his level of play gives the Lakers confidence that they can get quality minutes at the center position no matter what.
Making the center spot, not one of weakness like it’s been in recent years, but instead, one of strength.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
