After an exhausting, long NBA season, it was nice to go about Sunday’s game stress-free. There were some stakes involved as the Lakers could still finish either the third or fourth seed.
However, LA pretty quickly took control of the game and moved into cruise control as early as the start of the second half. From there, it was a fun half of the younger guys getting some run and shining with an eye kept on the Nuggets and Spurs.
At the end of the day, the Lakers won going away while the Nuggets took care of the Spurs, sealing LA into a match-up with the Rockets in the first round.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
LeBron James
17 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, 6-15 FG, 0-3 3PT, 6-7 FT, +14
It was a nice first half for LeBron, who got to the line repeatedly to help get the Lakers ahead so that he could sit out the second half.
Grade: B+
Rui Hachimura
29 minutes, 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 8-12 FG, 3-5 3PT, 3-4 FT, +19
Rui has been in quite the groove heading into the playoffs, highlighted by finishing the regular season strong. Also, TEN rebounds?!?
Grade: A
Deandre Ayton
26 minutes, 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 foul, 10-14 FG, 2-2 FT, +13
Another player heading into the postseason with momentum is Ayton, who also recorded a double-double on Sunday.
Grade: A
Marcus Smart
26 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 1-7 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, +13
The Lakers are going to need Smart in the playoffs, so it was nice to see him get some minutes again after his lengthy injury break. And he was being quite the facilitator as well.
Grade: B+
Luke Kennard
11 minutes, 3 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-1 FG, 1-2 FT, +8
This was a much-needed easy night for Kennard, who has suddenly become a very important player for the Lakers.
Grade: B-
Bronny James
19 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 4-7 FG, 3-4 3PT, +13
How much fun has it been to watch Bronny develop and flourish to close this season? While it comes with the obvious caveat, he’s likely going ot be a rotation player in a playoff series and it’s a deserved role.
Grade: A-
Jake LaRavia
25 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, +11
Congrats to Jake for playing all 82 games, the first Laker to do so since Austin Reaves in 2023-24 and the 45th player to do so in Lakers history.
Grade: C+
Maxi Kleber
15 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 1-2 FG, +10
By signing Nick Smith Jr. instead of Drew Timme, the Lakers gave an indirect vote of confidence in Kleber for the playoffs.
Grade: B-
Jarred Vanderbilt
16 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, +5
It hasn’t been a great final week for Vando, but this was a nice, relatively brief, cameo to end the regular season.
Grade: B
Nick Smith Jr.
18 minutes, 12 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 5-11 FG, 2-6 3PT, +6
With a freshly-inked contract, Smith Jr. showed why the Lakers signed him with a couple of threes in the first half. He likely won’t be in the rotation to start the playoffs, but he can provide a scoring injection if needed.
Grade: B+
Adou Thiero
12 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-4 FG, +3
His minutes came in full-blown garbage time, but it’s still so much fun to see him flying around the court.
Grade: B+
Dalton Knecht
12 minutes, 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 6-9 FG, 5-6 3PT, +3
He lives! On the topic of fun, seeing Knecht look like the player fans fell in love with a long time ago was a joy. However, there’s a good chance this was perhaps his last appearance in a Lakers jersey.
Grade: A
Drew Timme, Chris Mañon
The two-way guys wrapped up their season with some garbage time minutes. Neither played 10 minutes and neither will be eligible for the playoffs.
JJ Redick
Hats off to Redick, who coached the Lakers to 53 wins this season despite an incredible amount of injuries to the stars. It’s been a pair of tumultuous seasons and Redick still has over 100 wins.
It was a pretty simple task on Sunday against a team actively looking to lose the game.
Grade: B+
Sunday’s inactives: Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes, Austin Reaves
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
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