After knowing right away that the Lakers weren’t going to win on Saturday against Atlanta, the opening minutes of Monday’s game against the Hornets were going to be notable.
While it wasn’t a “blow you
away” type of performance from LA, it was a far more serious approach. Impressively — and improbably — it was the third quarter where the Lakers broke the game open.
Against another young team that has a fast offense and was shorthanded, the Lakers withstood a late rally and earned a nice bounceback win.
So, let’s dive into the victory. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Luka Dončić
38 minutes, 38 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 14-28 FG, 5-15 3PT, 5-5 FT, +16
What a night from Luka, who came out of the gate on fire and never slowed down. He took over the game in the first quarter by scoring 13 points in a span of 2:33.
Most impressive from his night, though, was his first “real” dunk of the season.
Skinny Luka really is all the way back now.
Grade: A+
Austin Reaves
29 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 7-17 FG, 2-10 3PT, 8-11 FT, +18
A nice return from Reaves, who stepped right in with a ho-hum 25-7-5. His jumper wasn’t falling, which isn’t a shock after a week off. But he got to the line and provided a much-needed offensive punch.
Unfortunately for him, he did not have the longest after-the-whistle heave on the night.
Grade: A-
Deandre Ayton
33 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-10 FG, +2
I have to say, I didn’t anticipate this many one-handed dunks from Ayton off lobs. It’s been a pleasant sight to see him finish strong at the rim.
It was a quieter night for him in this one. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad night.
Grade: B+
Rui Hachimura
36 minutes, 21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 9-12 FG, 3-3 3PT, +13
After a poor showing against the Hawks and a bad first half, I was worried Rui’s hot start was giving way to a slump.
Instead, he had the best quarter of his season with 13 points on perfect 5-5 shooting from the field, including all three of his long-range efforts. Redick also praised his defense in that quarter, too.
Rui was a big catalyst for the Lakers’ third quarter explosion and really helped take this from a competitive game to a far more comfortable one.
Grade: A
Marcus Smart
37 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-9 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, +15
The number that jumps out in this stat line is the absurd seven steals. Since 2016, Anthony Davis is the only other player to record seven steals in a game.
He had a bit of a hot and cold day shooting the three and had a couple of interesting plays as he’s one to do. But he also helped spark the team defensively as well. It was just another overall very impactful night.
Grade: A-
Jake LaRavia
25 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls, 2-8 FG, 0-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, -9
Another disappointing outing from LaRavia, who has not started off this road trip on a strong foot. He was one of only two Lakers to finish with a negative plus-minus and that’s a pretty fitting summary of his performance.
Perhaps he’s coming back down to Earth a bit after his red-hot stretch in Luka’s absence.
Grade: D
Dalton Knecht
11 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 foul, 1-4 FG, 1-1 3PT, -9
And the other player to have a negative plus-minus was Knecht, who has a clock quickly ticking down on his time in the rotation. With LeBron James moving closer and closer to returning, Knecht’s spot in the rotation is the one whose at stake.
Knecht hasn’t done much to warrant minutes even after LeBron’s return. It’s tough to see how far Knecht has fallen from this point last year.
Grade: D–
Jaxson Hayes
15 minutes, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 2 fouls, 1-2 FG, +4
While his impact isn’t necessarily measured in his scoring, Hayes has only two games this season with more than four points.
The counter to that is that his rebound percentage is at the second-highest mark of his career. He also has the highest assist rate of his career, too. And the lowest usage rate of his career.
All of this is to say it’s been a pretty odd start to the season for Hayes. You wouldn’t expect him to a solid player while also averaging his fewest points per-36 minutes of his career.
Grade: B-
Jarred Vanderbilt
16 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4 fouls
This was a rare wholly unimpactful Jarred Vanderbilt game. He’ll likely be called upon against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday, so he has a chance to bounce back.
Grade: F
JJ Redick
Nothing much to take away from this one for Redick. The team had a nice return to form in this one, led by Luka. That coinciding with Austin’s return probably isn’t a coincidence.
Grade: B
Monday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber
Monday’s inactives: Chris Mañon, Nick Smith Jr., LeBron James, Gabe Vincent, Christian Koloko, Adou Thiero
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on BlueSky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
