The Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz regular-season finale was played Sunday evening at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Showing positive energy, the Lakers won the game 131–107 and secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
In this game, legend LeBron James’ son Bronny James also got the chance to play, who has always been under the shadow of nepotism allegations. According to old reports, when Bronny was 10 years old, King James had said that recruiting kids at such a young age should be considered a “violation.” But today’s story is very different. Due to Marcus Smart’s injury, Bronny is getting meaningful rotation minutes, and he played a leading role in South Bay Lakers’ 11-game winning streak — a great momentum for him.
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
#9 Bronny James of the South Bay Lakers dribbles the ball up court against the Rip City Remix on January 24, 2025 at UCLA Health and Training Center
Winning this finale was crucial for the Lakers, but their starting backcourt is basically wiped out. Luka Doncic (Grade 2 hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 oblique strain) will both miss the start of the playoffs. Dr. Evan Jeffries has warned that rushing Reaves back could put his postseason career at risk. Meanwhile, 41-year-old James, in the finale of his 23rd season, scored 18 points in just the first half, showing he won’t shy away from carrying an extra load.
Bronny James’ awkward sideline interaction with Austin Reaves
During the game, however, an awkward clip surfaced. With 4:23 left in the fourth quarter and the score at 120–92, Reaves — sitting on the bench in street clothes while recovering — extended his hand for a handshake, but Bronny walked past him. That awkward moment, where Reaves looked at his empty hand, was quickly corrected when Bronny clumsily came back to fix it.
bronny missed austin's hand and he kept looking at his hand and bronny almost missed it again lmao😭 pic.twitter.com/AK1Bl1CNhW
— milo𓆉🇵🇸🇸🇩 (@TT11986) April 13, 2026
In this game, LeBron had 18 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Rui Hachimura posted 22 points and 10 rebounds (a double-double). Deandre Ayton added 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Bronny contributed 11 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, and went 3-for-4 from three-point range. Bronny had said in March:
“I've been wanting to play basketball my whole life, so I knew that was going to be my job at some point.”
Dalton Knecht scored 17 points off the bench, while Oscar Tshiebwe impressed for the Jazz with 29 points and 17 rebounds.
The Lakers finished the season with 53 wins — their best record since 2010–11 — making a strong impression.
Up next is the Lakers vs. Rockets series, with Game 1 set for Saturday, April 18 (8:30 ET, ABC), promising a high-energy matchup at the Lakers’ home court.