標籤: Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers recently suffered a blowout 111-89 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics, a defeat that exposed both emotional and tactical weaknesses. While the matchup remained competitive for three quarters, Boston took complete control in the final frame fueled by a 32-point performance from Jaylen Brown. The frustration in Los Angeles reached its peak when coach JJ Redick and players Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart were all charged with technical fouls for controversial umpiring.

Redick was particularly vocal about a missed goaltending call involving Celtics center Neemias Quetta, who reportedly reached through the rim to block a LeBron James layup. Even Luka Doncic, who struggled for 25 points, said with a smile that substituting was obviously problematic, even if he was not penalized the most.

The loss to a major rival highlights a troubling trend for the 34-22 Lakers. According to Jovan Buha at X, the Lakers have really struggled against teams with a .600 win% or better (top 10 teams by record).

They are 4-11 against them, with three of their wins coming in the first two weeks of the season (twice over Min and once over SAS). 10 out of 11 losses have been by double digits.

This lack of competitiveness against the league’s elite raises significant questions about their ceiling as a championship contender, as it appears they are missing the “punch” needed to trade with top-tier talent.

Amidst the struggles on the court, the evening became a moment of reflection for LeBron James, who watched the team unveil a statue of legendary coach Pat Riley. James expressed his “huge respect” for Riley, whom he worked under with the Miami Heat.

Acknowledging the “Showtime” architect’s extensive impact on the game as both a coach and executive, James said that although it is human nature to think about his past “what could have been”, he remains focused on the present.

As the Lakers move forward, they will have to find a way to translate that respect into results against top-tier opponents if they hope to capture another banner.

Boston Celtics guard Peyton Pritchard continues to prove that he is one of the most underrated shotmakers in the NBA, as he sank a buzzer-beater before halftime against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

Jaylen Brown drove hard into the lane to take the last shot, but was met by multiple defenders. With the game clock expiring, he threw the ball to Pritchard, who beat Luka Doncic and buried it. stepback three-pointer Logo’s pass gave the Celtics a nine-point lead at the break, 59–50.

Peyton Pritchard again 😱

Pritchard beat the buzzer beater in the second quarter to give the Celtics a two-point lead over the Lakers heading into halftime ☘️

pic.twitter.com/FBzvQndpWO

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 23 February 2026

Pritchard has a knack for making buzzer-beaters, so it’s no surprise he hit it. Remember his two half-court heaves in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks? Doncic probably does.

Many thought Boston would abandon the season, as Jayson Tatum was out with an Achilles injury and roster changes. But with the leadership of Brown, Pritchard and Derrick White, the Celtics have been a surprising threat in the Eastern Conference.

The 28-year-old Pritchard, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has gotten even better with his scoring, entering his game against the Lakers with a career-best 17.4 points average. The extra resources he has received in Tatum’s absence have increased his confidence in his game.

At the time of writing, the Celtics are leading the Lakers by double digits in the fourth quarter.

Pritchard had 19 points, including five three-pointers, four rebounds and six assists off the bench.

Boston is looking for its third consecutive win.

The Los Angeles Lakers last faced the LA Clippers in the 2025–26 regular season, and as those matchups usually are, it also lost. And while LeBron James was there to close out the game, Kawhi Leonard was forced to leave late with an ankle injury.

James finished the night with 13 points, three rebounds and 11 assists on 5-of-13 shooting for the Lakers, who defeated the Clippers 125–122. Kawhi Leonard produced 31 points, four rebounds and five assists on 11-of-19 shooting in 31 minutes of play before departing with 5:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After the game, LeBron James was asked about Kawhi Leonard and his resiliency to come back from injury and perform at an All-Star level.

“Kawhi is amazing, man,” James said. “He’s the best. He’s one of the best players ever. And I couldn’t care less about injuries. Those things, you can’t control. You can only control the guys, and the things he’s controlling is how he comes back and how much perseverance he has every time.”

In 42 appearances this season, Kawhi Leonard is averaging 27.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three and 90.7 percent from the free throw line.

His strong play throughout the season, but especially since mid-December, has been a big reason why the Clippers have been able to climb out of the 6-21 hole they started the season with.

“He’s a – that guy is amazing,” LeBron James continued. “I swear. I have nothing but good things to say about Kawhi and the kind of basketball he’s been playing the last few months. I mean, he’s been the same for a season. I’m not surprised by this. On another note, I was disappointed on the 2024 Olympic team when he wasn’t able to go with us. I was hoping to make the team with the ‘Whee’ as well. I was a little disappointed about that when he had to deal with another injury. Spent some time with him, but listen, he’s great. He had 31 points in 12 minutes. Obviously, I could talk about him all night.”

I heard LeBron James speak incredibly highly of Kawhi Leonard when I asked him about the resiliency he saw in him:

“Kawhi is amazing, man. He’s the best. He’s one of the best players ever. I couldn’t care less about injuries… That guy is amazing. I swear I don’t have anything… pic.twitter.com/GipDxoJRfX

– Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 21 February 2026

Kawhi Leonard has dealt with a number of injuries in his career, from a torn ACL to a torn meniscus, not to mention quad and knee inflammation difficulties, in recent years.

LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard have not played 40 games against each other – 28 in the regular season and 12 in the playoffs. Leonard has won 15 of those 28 regular season games and seven of those 12 playoff games.

James and his Miami Heat won the 2013 NBA Championship against Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard and his Spurs defeated James and his Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals.

The Los Angeles Clippers showed plenty of promise during their 125-122 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, despite being on the wrong side of the result. And while Tyronn Lue was completely happy with his team’s efforts, he had clear issues with how the Lakers did it.

Lue accused his opponents of the night of committing fouls throughout the game and claimed that it was something his team went through in every game.

According to a post on the

Undoubtedly, the turning point of the game proved to be Leonard’s exit with an ankle injury, which came with about five minutes left in regulation. The Clippers stayed in the game despite the Lakers getting an explosive start to the game.

While Luka Doncic led from the front with 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reeves contributed 29 points on 9-15 shooting, LeBron James also came up with a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.

This was only the 11th time in 55 games that the Lakers’ three superstars played together, something fans will hope will become the norm from now on. The Clippers’ response was mainly driven by Kawhi Leonard’s 31-point performance.

Whenever the Lakers threatened to take over the game, he seemed to inspire his team’s response. Benedict Mathurin scored 26 points off the bench on the night, while Brook Lopez returned with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Clippers even came back from a 15-point deficit at one point in the third quarter and things might have changed if Leonard had been able to log minutes toward the end.

The Los Angeles Clippers suffered a 125–122 loss against the city rival Los Angeles Lakers, with Kawhi Leonard having to leave early with an ankle injury. Led by Luka Doncic’s 38 points and 11 assists, the Lakers fielded a trio of Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James, who had one of their best offensive performances of the season.

After the game, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue praised his team, claiming that they fought to the end despite great adversity.

Tyronn Lue Postgame

“Don’t feel like any team is trying to beat me.” pic.twitter.com/0Pdv8KLZiU

– Law Murray 🏴‍☠️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) 21 February 2026

“You see, that’s who we are. This group, we’re gonna compete, we’re gonna fight every night. This doesn’t look like a bullshit team that’s trying to lose to me. We’ll scrape by every night. We’ll fight every night. That’s who we are. Teams that are gonna play against us know we’re gonna fight every night,” he said, according to a post by The Athletic’s Law Murray on X.

The Lakers started with an early offensive burst, led by Doncic’s 17-point quarter, as the Clippers returned from a 12-point deficit in the first quarter. However, the reaction was just as dramatic.

Leonard shot clinically throughout, finishing 11 of 19 shooting, including an impressive 19-point second quarter that kept the game from slipping away. The Clippers’ physical ability and comeback provided another encouraging sign.

They had a significant early advantage in second-chance production, outscoring the Lakers 14–2 on offensive rebounds in the first half. This helped them flip the script as they overcame a 15-point deficit to take a 17-0 lead.

However, Leonard’s ejection with a little more than five minutes remaining proved to be the turning point. Despite bringing the score to 123–120 with only 46 seconds remaining, the Clippers struggled to stay in the game and ultimately lost.

However, as he pointed out, Tyronn Lue’s team fought until the end and will have plenty of positives to take from the defeat.

The hits keep coming for the Los Angeles Clippers; Still without Darius Garland, the key player they got in exchange for James Harden, they lost John Collins to a serious head injury in Friday night’s contest against the Los Angeles Lakers.

To make matters worse, the Clippers will now be without Kawhi Leonard for the final few minutes of a close game against the Purple and Gold, as Tomer Azharli beat a ClutchPoints reporter.

Leonard was experiencing pain in his left ankle, and it looked as if he had dislocated it on the first play of the fourth when he attempted to post up and the ball slipped out of his grasp. The Clippers star was treading cautiously, and now, the team is opting to play it safe, refusing to risk any more losses to their best player.

Leonard scored 31 points on 11-19 shooting from the field, with four rebounds and five assists, before being forced to leave the game due to an ankle injury.

Things go from bad to worse for the plucky Clippers

To say that this season has not gone according to plan by any means for the Clippers would be a huge understatement. Leonard’s alleged involvement in a cap rigging business tied to a bankrupt company called Aspiration got this season off to a bad start for the Clippers, and now, LA is going to be without two key players at such a crucial point in the season.

The Clippers were one win away from reaching the .500 mark, which is a borderline miracle considering their 6-21 start to the season, but their loss to the Lakers has delayed their spectacular climb for the time being. If Leonard, Collins and Garland miss even more time, the onus will be on Benedict Mathurin to lead the team in scoring.

Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night thanks to a herculean effort from freshman guard Benedict Mathurin. But with the Clippers also playing the second night of a back-to-back set on Friday night, is Kawhi Leonard playing against the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Clippers currently have a record of 27–28, and have won 21 of their last 28 games after starting the season with a mediocre 6–21 record. The climb back up the standings and into the playoff race has been led by star Kawhi Leonard. Given his injury history and the upcoming back-to-back set, everyone wants to know if Leonard will play against the Lakers.

*Watch NBA Games Live with fuboTV (Free Trial)*

Kawhi Leonard’s injury status vs. Lakers

Kawhi Leonard has played in 42 of the Clippers’ 55 games so far this season. He missed 10 games in November 2025 due to an ankle sprain suffered against the Miami Heat and another three games in January 2026 due to swelling in his knee due to a hard injury suffered against the Detroit Pistons a week earlier.

He played in the Clippers’ first game after the 2026 NBA All-Star break against the Nuggets, but battled an illness as he scored 23 points on 8 of 18 shooting from the field. He received a huge boost from new teammate Benedict Mathurin, who scored a career-high 38 points on 12 of 22 shooting in the win.

Entering Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kawhi Leonard is not listed on the Clippers’ injury report and is expected to play. However, it is worth noting that head coach Tyronn Lue has hinted at a minutes restriction on Leonard and that the team will likely limit his minutes as the season progresses.

“He’s on his minutes [restriction],” head coach Tyronn Lue admitted after Wednesday’s practice inside the Intuit Dome. “He’s on his schedule so we can’t overdo it. Like I said, we’re smart about it. We know we can’t just drop him to the ground. As much as he wants to play more and do more, we just know that with that load, we can’t keep it going night and day. So there will be some nights where it’s a little higher than others, but for the most part we want to make sure we’re safe with him.

Kawhi Leonard has played 41 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 27.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three and 90.7 percent from the three-throw line. His 27.8 points per night are a personal career high for the Clippers star, who has been tasked with carrying the scoring load during all the trades and injuries he has had to deal with.

The fourth and final matchup between the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM PST on ESPN.

The Los Angeles Lakers remained mostly quiet at the NBA trade deadline, making a small move by sending Gabe Vincent and a pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Luke Kennard. While Kennard has performed well in his first few games in Los Angeles, he is unlikely to significantly change the course of the Lakers’ 2025-26 season.

After an early playoff exit, which many anticipate will be in a matter of months, the Lakers will have more flexibility to remodel a sensible roster around Luka Doncic, and recently, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel broke down a name Los Angeles could pursue to add to their frontcourt depth.

“One team we reported on last year that had interest in Yves Missy is the Los Angeles Lakers. They’re hitting the market looking for a center, and maybe they can get Missy at a cheap price for a first-round pick,” Seagal said on Clutch Scoops, according to Ax, formerly of ClutchPoints on Twitter.

The New Orleans Pelicans tossed Messi’s name around in trade rumors leading up to the deadline, notably having talks with the Chicago Bulls, but ultimately made no move regarding their 2024 first-round draft selection.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have been linked to dating Missy since last summer.

Missy would certainly provide an upgrade over Deandre Ayton and Jackson Hayes in the Lakers’ frontcourt, as he checks a lot of the same boxes that Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford did as Doncic’s partners with the Dallas Mavericks.

Aside from the trade market, the Lakers should have plenty of room for free agency signings in the offseason when LeBron James is either off the books or back on a significantly reduced contract. Currently, the Lakers have not been able to build a real contender around Doncic, because he and James are receiving huge salaries.

In any case, the Lakers will next be at home against the crosstown rival Los Angeles Clippers on Friday evening.

As speculation continues to heat up regarding LeBron James and his future with the Los Angeles Lakers, a league insider has openly embraced the idea of ​​a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On the latest episode of Clutch Scoops, ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel said he believes James is leaving Southern California for a third stint in Cleveland this summer.

Siegel said, “Everyone around the league, even at the trade deadline, felt his time with the Lakers was over and it looked like he was going back to Cleveland.” “And that’s been the perception since that road game in Cleveland.”

Siegel pointed to James’ deep ties to the city as a driving factor behind the growing trust.

“We know how much that city means to him. It’s where he’s from, it’s where he still has family and he still does a lot for that community even though he lives across the country,” Siegel said. “So I think for Year 24, at this point, I would be shocked if he doesn’t go back to Cleveland. I just see him taking a discount to do that. Whether it’s a minimum deal, whether they clear cap space to give him something else. I don’t see anyway, A, he returns to the Lakers and B, why he would want to finish his career with a new team.”

. @TomerAzarly And @BrettSiegelNBA Live to talk NBA All-Stars, tanking problems + some early NBA offseason intel! https://t.co/duIKN4TFxL

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 19 February 2026

Cavaliers cap outlook, contenders potentially fuel discussion of LeBron James’ Lakers exit

Siegel said a potential Cavaliers roster that could include James as well as James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley could immediately position Cleveland as a contender in the Eastern Conference.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday that the Cavaliers will only be able to offer James a veteran’s minimum contract under current cap constraints.

James, 41, is under contract with Los Angeles and is in his eighth season with the franchise and 23rd overall. He averaged 22 points, 7.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range in 36 games. The Lakers entered the second half of the season at 33–21 and in fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

Los Angeles resumes play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at 7 pm PT on ESPN.

Cleveland, 34-21 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, returns from the All-Star break on Thursday night when it hosts the Brooklyn Nets at 4 p.m. PT. The Cavaliers are on a five-game winning streak.

Although no decisions have been made and James has not publicly addressed his long-term plans, Siegel’s comments underscore how there is growing league-wide belief that another chapter in Cleveland could be on the horizon.

A new report links the Los Angeles Lakers to seven different players as offseason targets, including a player who had one of the worst contracts in the history of NBA free agency, and is one of the game’s top stars at the moment.

The LA Lakers lead the playoff race in the Western Conference and are just a few games away from having the fourth-best record in the NBA. Suffice it to say, they’re still aiming for a deep run in the postseason this spring. However, that doesn’t mean the front office doesn’t also have an eye on the offseason.

After making the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic last year, the organization has taken a surprisingly conservative approach. They’re not willing to give up a future first-round pick in a trade, and they don’t want to add any big contracts to their payroll so they can retain salary cap flexibility in the summer.

But expect them to be much more active in improving the roster around Doncic in the offseason. And according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Milwaukee Bucks icon Giannis Antetokounmpo will be on their wish list.

McMenamin reports, “The Lakers clearly see the appeal in Antetokounmpo and believe they would be one of the teams on a very short list if the Bucks ask to trade the star out of Milwaukee.” “A Western Conference executive tells ESPN he believes Antetokounmpo is the ‘big prize’ the Lakers are hoping to get should the Milwaukee Bucks decide to trade the 2021 NBA Finals MVP in the offseason.”

LA Lakers could target Quentin Grimes, Tobias Harris this summer

While the LA Lakers will look to pair Doncic and Antetokounmpo – two of the league’s top 10 best players – next season, completing a trade for the Greek giants will not be easy as they will be competing with at least a half-dozen other teams in the trade sweepstakes.

That’s why the LA Lakers will have other players on their radar this summer. According to McMenamin, there have already been internal discussions about pursuing restricted free agents Tari Eason and Peyton Watson.

When it comes to the unrestricted market, an NBA insider claims Andrew Wiggins, Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are the players the organization will be looking for in the summer.

While Harris is a solid player, the five-year, $180 million deal he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 will go down as one of the worst signed contracts ever in free agency. In Philly, he averaged 17 points, 6 boards and 3 assists over his six seasons, as he earned $36 million annually.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Chris Bosh said Goran Dragic’s injury during the 2020 NBA Finals significantly impacted the Miami Heat’s series against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Speaking on the latest episode of the All That Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, the Hall of Famer reflected on Dragic’s plantar fascia tear in Game 1 of the Finals inside the NBA’s Orlando bubble.

“The hardest part was watching the Heat battle injuries. Seeing my guy Goran Dragic finally get there and not be able to play. It broke my heart. I can’t say they win, but it definitely would have been a different series if he played. Just to be able to play in the Finals, I don’t care where they’re playing — if it’s the Finals and the NBA, it’s a dream come true. They don’t get that whole experience. It was tough. Like he said, they still went out there and fought. I know the message was definitely there for both sides, but especially for the Heat,” Bosh said.

Bosh continued:

“I know a lot of people were writing them off and not really paying much attention to them, but you know, when you get there, you don’t get there just to lose. You don’t get there to say, ‘Ah, nice weather.’ I definitely knew they were going to prepare, they were going to fight to the last man and you have to beat those guys. And it happened, but pain is pain. I know they’ll be able to overcome this and it will make them a better team and put the Lakers down, man one. Let’s see if they can keep it going.”

Dragic entered the 2020 postseason as Miami’s second-leading scorer behind Jimmy Butler III. In 17 playoff games, he averaged 19.1 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and one steal while shooting 44% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range in 32.5 minutes per contest.

Chris Bosh believes if Goran Dragic didn’t get injured in the 2020 NBA Finals, it would have been a different series:

“The hardest part was watching the Heat battle injuries. Seeing my man Goran Dragic finally get there and not be able to play. It broke my heart man. Not like… https://t.co/5UKntMUerb pic.twitter.com/1bOzN5UWJc

– Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) 13 February 2026

Chris Bosh says Goran Dragic injury changed the fate of Heat’s Finals against Lakers

Due to injury, Dragic was limited to only two brief appearances at the end of the series. Miami ultimately lost to the Lakers in six games as James captured his fourth NBA Championship and fourth Finals MVP.

Despite the setback, the Heat remained competitive throughout the series, with Butler’s 40-point triple-double in Game 3 and 35-point performance in Game 5 forcing a sixth game.

Miami later returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. The franchise made another Finals appearance in 2023 but lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games. Dragic was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kyle Lowry as the Heat reshaped their roster around Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

With the Butler-led era now concluding, Miami enters All-Star weekend at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with a 29–27 record, eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Heat have advanced from the play-in tournament in each of the past three seasons and remain in contention for another postseason berth this spring.

Bosh’s comments provided perspective on how injuries, particularly Dragic’s injuries, shaped Miami’s chances against James and the Lakers during the unique bubble finals.