The Lakers’ third-quarter struggles have returned. During the early parts of the season, they were getting dominated by opponents after halftime, and that’s been an ongoing trend during LA’s current road trip.
The Cavs outscored the Lakers by 20 in the third en route to a dominant win over the purple and gold, and on Sunday, LA went from a four-point lead to an eight-point deficit thanks to another bad second half start.
So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for
each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
LeBron James
35 minutes, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 9-15 FG, 2-6 3PT, 2-6 FT, -17
If this was LeBron’s last game in Madison Square Garden, it was a bit of a letdown. He had a nice dunk and shot a respectable 9-15 from the field, but his defense was poor and hurt LA during their attempt at a late rally.
Grade: C+
Jake LaRavia
23 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 2-7 FG, 1-6 3PT, -19
There was once a case for LaRavia to be LA’s fifth starter, but I just don’t see it now. He is far too inconsistent a scorer.
Grade: D
Deandre Ayton
32 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 6-6 FG, 1-1 FT, -12
Ayton had an okay game. He took advantage of his scoring opportunities, but ideally, he would’ve grabbed some more rebounds, especially considering that LA lost the rebounding battle by 10.
Grade: C
Marcus Smart
30 minutes, 7 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 2-9 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, -19
Smart had some nice defensive plays, diving for loose balls and forcing shot clock violations, but he also called his own number on offense far too many times.
Overall, it’s what you’ve come to expect from the Smart experience in Los Angeles.
Grade: B
Luka Dončić
37 minutes, 30 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 10-23 FG, 5-14 3PT, 5-6 FT, -13
Whether it was talking smack to Spike Lee, making free throws, or grabbing boards, Luka was his All-Star self in New York.
That also includes being a defensive liability and getting picked on by the Knicks, especially during the second half. Luka didn’t get destroyed in those moments, but he didn’t necessarily shine either.
Grade: B-
Gabe Vincent
18 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-5 FG, 2-4 3PT, +7
Vincent was fine in this game. He played for a couple of shifts, knocked down some shots and ended the night as a positive scorer off the bench.
Grade: B
Jaxson Hayes
12 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, 1-2 FG, +2
With as many fouls as he had points, Hayes had little impact on the outcome of this game.
Grade: C-
Rui Hachimura
29 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 5-11 FG, 1-5 3PT, -1
Hachimura missed many good looks from deep against the Knicks. Making a few of those could’ve been the difference in this one.
Grade: C
Jarred Vanderbilt
20 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 0-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, +8
The best play Vando had was drawing a foul call on Karl-Anthony Towns when he was trying to grab a rebound. His defense wasn’t noteworthy and his offense was bad.
Grade: C
Drew Timme, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr.
This quartet only played during the final minute of the game, so they will not be graded.
JJ Redick
Redick shrank his bench and went with a nine-man rotation. It went fine, but yet again, the second half adjustments didn’t work.
The Lakers’ zone was getting sliced up and when they just switched, the results weren’t much better. It’s hard to judge how much of their faults are coaching over roster construction, but Redick does have to take some blame for LA often losing to top teams in the NBA.
Grade: C-
Sunday’s inactives: Austin Reaves, Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon, Bronny James
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
