Andy Kamenetzky here, the host of the daily Locked On Lakers podcast, with your daily Locked On Lakers newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Lakers and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Locked On Lakers
Locked On Lakers
The Lakers Throttle Boston, 117-96. Best Win of the Year?
Sorry Lakers, we owe you an apology. We were not familiar with your game.
Set aside what they’re surely noting (at least to some degree) in Celtics spaces after Thursday’s TKTKTKTK Lakers win over Boston at the Crypt. Yes, the Celtics played a very draining game Wednesday against the Clippers. Sure, the Celtics were uncharacteristically cold in the first half, and the Lakers uncharacteristically hot, especially from 3-point range.
Whatever.
What made this game significant for the Lakers wasn’t just final score (though it was pretty sweet)—the Lakers showed what they’re capable of when the intensity, urgency and attention is on point for all 48 minutes. The Lakers moved with tremendous purpose, particularly on the offensive end in a first half where they they shot 50% from the floor. They got into their offense quickly. They cut hard. They pushed when the opportunity presented itself. And in the second half, when the offense went dry and it looked like the Celtics might make a run, they leaned into their defense to hold the Celtics scoreless for minutes at a time.
Jan 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts following the win over Sacramento Kings at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy/Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
If you watch NBA basketball then you know 3-pointers are up. You know because you’re seeing it, night after night, no matter the team you follow. Matter of fact, if you look at this season’s 3-point attempts there is going to be a deep-court shooter on your team. It doesn’t mean they are making those shots, but boy, are they chucking them.
You likely also know because we can’t stop talking about it. The royal “we” in this case of NBA media, and then onto fans, then back to media in a never-ending cycle. You may be sick of hearing about threes at this, the halfway point of the 2024-2025 season but I’m sorry say — tough luck.
At least half tough luck. Threes aren’t going away — we can pretty plainly see this to be true night after night — but the good news is their volume and habituality will make it so sooner or later our approach to them is less wide-eyed and speculative than accepting. They’ll become the new normal.
No other athlete embodies this normalization better than the greatest NBA player in the world at present: Nikola Jokic.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Analysis Victor Wembanyama is reshaping the NBA as we know it. (The Ringer)
Must Read The chosen one: Scottie Barnes as hope and saviour for the Raptors franchise. (Toronto Life)
Trade With the NBA trade deadline looming, Anthony Davis expressed the Lakers’ need for another big man to bolster their roster. (Bleacher Report)
Biz LeBron James has the No. 2 best-selling jersey for the first half of the season, and the Lakers are the No. 2 best-selling team in merchandise.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Crucial Streaming Decisions in a Topsy-Turvy Week
Jan 15, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) in action against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher/Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
As we approach Friday’s NBA action, we’re faced with an unusual schedule that demands careful consideration for fantasy managers. With only three games on the slate, it’s a critical day for streaming, especially given the peculiar schedule ahead.
The coming week presents a unique challenge: over the next six days of NBA action, several teams have zero quality game days. This means that adding a streamer without careful planning could result in zero games played, effectively wasting a roster spot. Teams like the Nets, Celtics, Bulls, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Pistons all have three games over the next six days, but none on streamable days.
Portland stands out as the best team for streaming, with three quality games over the next six days. Philadelphia is the only other team with more than one, boasting two quality games. This schedule advantage makes players from these teams particularly valuable for the short term.
Friday’s games feature the Blazers vs. Hornets, Cavaliers vs. 76ers, and Pelicans vs. Grizzlies. All teams playing on Friday are part of a back-to-back, with Portland coming off a Thursday game and the others playing again on Saturday.
How Will the Lakers Survive Without Anthony Davis? The Lakers have a very distinct challenge in front of them over the next week or two. Let’s say for the sake of argument Anthony Davis misses all seven of the games the Lakers have left on the calendar before the All-Star break. How will they respond? In theory, three of those games—tonight against Washington, then games against Utah on February 10th and 12th—are winnable whether Davis plays or not. The other four? You do what you can.
Lakers Lose 118-104 to 76ers, Anthony Davis Suffers Abdominal Injury If Monday’s ugly win in Charlotte shined a light on deficiencies around the Lakers roster, then Tuesday’s ugly loss in Philadelphia—final score 118-104—had those shortcomings glowing in ways that could probably be seen from space. After a hot start, the Lakers cooled off, and then Anthony Davis left the game. For good, as it turned out. And once that happened, the Lakers completely collapsed. Defensively, they couldn’t find anything to slow down Tyrese Maxey. They couldn’t keep Philadelphia away from the rim, or off the glass. They couldn’t force any mistakes (zero turnovers for the Sixers in the second quarter). By any measure, the Lakers were completely overwhelmed by Philly’s aggression and athleticism.
Anthony Davis (42 Points, 23 Rebounds) Saves Lakers in 112-107 Win over Hornets The Anthony Davis Revival continues. At the same time he made waves by vocalizing his desire for Rob Pelinka and the front office to add another big to the Lakers roster, Davis has also elevated his play (which was, to say the least, already high level). Monday in Charlotte, Davis went for 21/11 in the first quarter, en route to 42 points and 23 boards. He was the reason—the reason—the Lakers got off to a tremendous start against the Hornets, outscoring them 39-19 in the first quarter and the reason—the reason—they hung on to win, 112-107.
