LOS ANGELES - - — The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their second straight impressive win knocking off the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-106 without LeBron James on in the lineup on Tuesday night.
Luka Doncic scored 31 points while adding 11 rebounds and 11 assists. It was his seventh triple-double of the season.
Austin Reaves, who is playing at near All Star-level once again added 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the win. 29 of his 31 points came when he caught fire in the second half to help the Lakers finish strong.
The Lakers are 18-3 when Reaves scores at least 20 points.
Los Angeles started the game struggling by only scoring 16 points in the first quarter, but found a way to take control of the game with a potent offense and a defensive effort that kept the Timberwolves under control for the rest of the night.
The back-to-back wins were very impressive with Los Angeles knocking off two of the top teams in the NBA without James in the lineup.
People are questioning if the Lakers are better without James in the lineup. I disagree but it does make you think about it.
Los Angeles is now 10-2 when Doncic & Reaves play without James. The Lakers are 14-7 when James is not available to play.
Even Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch believes the team becomes ‘more dangerous’ without James.
“Seems to activate Luka & Reaves...seem to share the shots. They become exponentially more dangerous...been pretty good when 2 of those 3 been out because of just a usage puzzle” Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said about the Lakers without James.
With James returning soon, what will the Lakers do to look the way they have the past three wins with all three stars in the lineup?
I know it will sound crazy to some but maybe the Lakers should bring the all time scoring leader off the bench for the Lakers to reach their full potential.
We’ve seen Doncic lead the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance with one other primary ball handler in the starting lineup and defense & shooting around him.
The Lakers look a lot like that team when James is watching from the sidelines. We all know that James has a lot left in the tank but the fit alongside Doncic and Reaves hasn’t been perfect so far this season. Either Reaves or James is negatively affected when all there players are suited up.
Lakers JJ Redick will never come out and say there are issues with all three players in the lineup but sees a clear difference.
“I think when all three of those guys are on the court specifically, again, it goes back to the human element,” Redick said to media, via Daniel Starkland of Lakers Nation. “It's what they're comfortable doing as basketball players, which, for all three of those guys, one of those guys having scored the most points in NBA history and doing it for 23 years, is to have the ball in his hands ... I think losing a training camp and losing the start of the year and then kind of losing [Reaves] then for a long stretch, I think we're starting to get it. But there's a clear pecking order when Luka and AR are on the floor together with guys that are low-usage players. That's just the nature of it.”
For the Lakers, why not try bringing James off the bench? He is a guy that can be the tone setter and go-to scorer for a Lakers bench that lacks consistent firepower.
This move would allow the Lakers to have one of the better benches in the league with such a dramatic move.
Numbers have proven that the Lakers have their struggles against the top teams in the NBA with Doncic, James and Reaves on the court together. With James off the bench with his minutes staggered between the two guards maybe this new twist would give them an advantage over other team’s in the West.
With some big games ahead as the team continues to play for seedling. Let’s see if the Lakers are willing to make the surprising move to truly compete for a championship.
