Category: Basketball

The Brooklyn Nets snuck into the All-Star break in an optimal lottery position and without a crowd of accusers behind them, alleging they’ve compromised the game’s integrity and warped its competitive nature. The latter without the former is a rare thing today, particularly this season.

Tonight, they reemerged from it in a far less enviable spot. They visited the revamped Cleveland Cavaliers, and while the uneven matchup reinforced their advantageous draft position, it was no easy watch.

The Cavs started the game with a 14-3 burst after the Nets opened shooting 1-7 from the floor. Cleveland’s initial offensive fluidity warranted an early timeout for Jorid Fernández, even by his standards. The second year coach called for one with the Cavs up just 4-0.

“Yeah, it was two mistakes that were completely controllable, and it just tells me about the readiness of our players,” Fernández said of the timeout. “It was the lack of effort and readiness, and you know, I’m not going to let it fly.”

However, premature didn’t equal productive. On Brooklyn’s next defensive possession, Evan Mobley got free for a wide open running dunk. That was the easiest of Cleveland’s first six shots of the game, all of which they made. Less than 10 minutes deep, the Cavs were already up 15.

One of the new Nets Ochai Agbaji again checked in toward the end of the first, followed by Drake Powell, Danny Wolf, Terance Mann, and Ziaire Williams. That group looked a tad less lost at the offensive end, but still wayward. The Nets shot just 2-13 on from deep in the first, and as a result, trailed 36-14 after it.

Nets second unit doing some good things on offense, taking the right shots, just can't finish off possessions… pic.twitter.com/XhxO0ww6EY

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 20, 2026

Less than three minutes into the second, the Cavalier lead had already boiled to 20. Whether rising up to defend the rim or chasing Dennis Schröder into the backcourt for loose balls, Day’Ron Sharpe and Agbaji did their best to will Brooklyn back into it, and while I can’t call being down 14 “in it,” the team did respond.

As the second frame progressed, MPJ had an easier time getting to his spots and leveraging around the pressure of a defense well aware of his shooting prowess. Brooklyn also pushed for more points in transition, at one point enjoying a 14-6 run…

Egor could've hit Clowney for an easy dunk here…His shooting confidence continues to pay off, gets the Nets an extra point. pic.twitter.com/fc2fHaovm6

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 20, 2026

But as the offense found it’s footing, the defense slipped. No Nic Claxton to defend the rim essentially made this a matchup nightmare for Brooklyn vs James Harden and Jarrett Allen as a pick-and-roll dance partners. The Cavs kept the music going for the entirety of the first half, going for 36 points the paint and outscoring the Nets there by 18 in the process. They posted .643/.571 splits, while Brooklyn shot .365/.269. That’s a -27.8 and -30.2 difference in percentage points.

“Their physicality and their intensity was as it should be for winning teams,” Fernández said. “So, we were not even close.”

So, Brooklyn started the second half down 70-48, once again in a battle against public embarrassment rather than the guys at the other end of the court.

No one told the Cavs that. They started the third on a 15-2 run after making their first four shots. Brooklyn didn’t hit a field goal until Danny Wolf splashed a corner three at the 6:43 mark of the third. Amid their cold streak, Donovan Mitchell canned a transition triple to put his team up 85-50. After that, when Spida pulled out his web-slinger celebration, it became even more clear who was having fun tonight and who wasn’t.

mood.@spidadmitchell | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/uS8jzVNaEd

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 20, 2026

The Nets then bled out in the street like Uncle Ben, except this time there were no inspiring lessons to take away. Cleveland outscored Brooklyn 32-19 in this frame, inflating their lead to as many as 43 at one point.

However, there were a few silver, check that, bronze linings down the stretch. And honestly, that’s all we’re in business for at this point.

In the final minute of the third, Powell and Agbaji gave a look at at what can do together with their athleticism, chipping away six points to make it a 102-67 score entering the fourth…

Impressive job by Powell to gather this tipped board and then find Ochai in stride (pay no attention to the score, btw). pic.twitter.com/NobEDE2ojJ

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 20, 2026

Agbaji continued to play tough in the final quarter, adding another handful of transition points to help the Nets extend a 15-2 run between the periods. He finished the night with 13 points after shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep, trailing only MPJ in the scoring department. Porter Jr. tallied 14 points on your 5-13 shooting while grabbing five boards.

“Yeah, he did a great job,” Fernández said of Agbaji. “He was ready to shoot. He still has to get used to the spacing, the rules, some of the plays, and defensive concepts, but I think he did a great job. He was ready. He fought physically and mentally. He was ready to go, and it was good to see.”

“I’m excited about what we can do and the style we play is very unselfish,” Agbaji said. “That’s kind of the player that I am so I fit into that well.”

Said Agbaji post-game: “I’m excited about what we can do and the style we play is very unselfish. That’s kind of the player that I am so I fit into that well.”

ICYMI, Agbaji came to Brooklyn in deadline day deal with the Raptors. Suffice it to say that the Nets won that deal. The Nets get the 25-year-old from the Raptors along with Raps 2032 second and $3.5 million in cash in return for the draft rights to Vanja Marinkovic, a 29-year-old Serbian shooting guard who had blown out his achilles day before. Agbaji will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Brooklyn also rotated well to shut down Cleveland’s reserves, who went 0-12 from deep in the fourth. Nolan Traore also extended his streak to six consecutive games with at least four assists, tying Kerry Kittles for the fourth-longest streak by a rookie in franchise history.

It was all very “Chris Paul hit’s a huge three,” but I’ll say it again, there’s not much out there for these Nets other than little wins. In terms of a literal one, they weren’t even close. At least tomorrow’s another day, even if it is against the champs.

Final: Cleveland Cavaliers 112, Brooklyn Nets 84

Milestone Watch

• Nolan Traore has extended his streak to six consecutive games with at least four assists, which is tied as the fourth-longest streak by a rookie in franchise history and the longest since Kerry Kittles’ six straight in 1996.

Injury Report

As mentioned, Nic Claxton missed tonight’s game. He suffered a right ankle sprain at practice yesterday. He had only missed four games this season before tonight. We’ll provide updates on him as they come in.

Next Up

Brooklyn’s rocky road out of the All-Star break takes its toughest turn tomorrow night as the Nets will travel to Oklahoma City for a date with the reigning champs. The Nets haven’t beat the Thunder in over two years now. If anything, the size of the game’s spread should be interesting. This one tips off at 8:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Cleveland Cavaliers 112, Brooklyn Nets 84 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Cleveland Cavaliers 112, Brooklyn Nets 84 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Ochai Agbaji PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Cavaliers extend win streak to 6 with 112-84 rout of Nets – Joe Reedy – AP
• Nets carved up by Cavaliers as second half of tanking season starts with a dud – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Rookies tested as Nets fall to Cavaliers, 112-84 ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• 2 Nets trade acquisitions who can earn new contracts during second half of season – Erik Slater – Clutch Points
• Nets drop first game after All-Star break 112-84 to Cavaliers – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers thoroughly dominated the Brooklyn Nets. They controlled from the opening tip and never gave the Nets a chance to get off the mat. This led to a runaway 112-84 victory.

The Cavs asserted their control early on. They started the game on a 14-3 run that was capped off by a beautiful alley-oop from James Harden to Donovan Mitchell. That one play seemed to end any chance of this game being competitive.

Posting this play again because ADMIN CAN. #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/8wYfB2qMd1

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 20, 2026

The biggest question heading into this game was how the Cavs would look with Evan Mobley and Dean Wade back in the starting lineup. If this game was any indication, the answer is they’ll look quite good.

The offense worked great with the two bigs. Harden and Mitchell found openings to get Mobley involved going to the basket, and they did so without forgetting about Jarrett Allen.

The boxscore won’t show it, but Allen was dominant inside. He finished with 15 points in 24 minutes and aggressively attacked any time he had an opening. This led to a game-high 10 free-throw attempts.

Mobley had a solid game in his return from a calf strain. He provided 10 points, nine rebounds, and two assists on 5-9 shooting in 18 and a half minutes of play.

Mitchell once again led the team in scoring with 17 points in 21 minutes. The Cavs played their best basketball with him on the court as he led the team by being a +37 in plus/minus.

Harden was in complete control offensively. He orchestrated the attack at an incredibly high level, which led to him scoring 16 points on 6-8 shooting while dishing out nine assists.

The Nets were led by 14 points from Michael Porter Jr.

The one-sided win allowed the Cavs to keep all of their starters under 30 minutes of play. This is much needed as they head on the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday evening. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

Per sources that told ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania, Steph Curry will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Curry, who is suffering from “patellofemoral pain syndrome” (runner’s knee) on his right knee, has missed the Golden State Warriors’ last six games and is set to miss his seventh straight game against the Boston Celtics tonight.

Steph Curry will be re-evaluated again for his persistent right knee issue in 10 days, sources tell me and @ShamsCharania. That rules him out of the team's next five games. He missed the last five before the All-Star break. https://t.co/26E0i2PPZW

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 20, 2026

Including tonight’s game, Curry is set to miss the next five games, effectively disqualifying him from end-of-season honors such as inclusion in an All-NBA team.

Curry will almost certainly be ineligible for end-of-season honors like All-NBA.

Tomorrow will be his 17th missed game of the season. He'd have to play every game the rest of the way to hit the 65-game minimum for eligibility. https://t.co/oRNt6jUABM

— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) February 19, 2026

It will be the first time Curry will not be in an All-NBA team since the 2019-20 season, during which he played only five games due to a hand injury. It will only be the sixth time in his career that Curry will not be an All-NBA member.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Ava Heiden scored 21 points and tallied a double-double to lead No. 13 Iowa 83-74 over Purdue on Thursday.

Heiden was a ruthlessly efficient 10-of-12 shooting for the Hawkeyes (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten). She added 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Taylor Stremlow had 19 points, going 7 of 10, and dishing eight assists. Journey Houston scored 16 to go with five rebounds.

The Hawkeyes shot 59 percent (32-of-54) and 47 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-19). The win was the 10th in a row for the Hawkeyes over the Boilermakers (12-14, 4-11). It broke a deadlock in the historical series, giving Iowa a 41-40 lead.

Nya Smith scored 19 and Kiki Smith had 17 for the Boilermakers, with Nya Smith adding five rebounds and five assists. Tara Daye had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Kendall Puryear scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

The Hawkeyes took a 51-32 lead into the halftime break after an early 11-2 run was followed by a 20-1 run later in the half. Stremlow scored all 19 of her points in the first half on 7 of 8 shooting and 5 of 5 from behind the arc. Heiden had 12 in the second half, and her pair of jumpers to open the second half built a game-high 23-point lead for the Hawkeyes.

A late 7-0 run from the Boilermakers inside the final two minutes made the final score a bit closer than the double-digit margin it was for the majority of the second half.

Up next

No. 13 Iowa will host No. 6 Michigan on Sunday.

Purdue will travel to face No. 14 Maryland on Sunday.

___

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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Aaliyah Chavez racked up 27 points, five assists, and four rebounds as No. 11 Oklahoma held off No. 24 Georgia, 71-67 on Thursday night.

Chavez was 9-for-17 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe for the Sooners (20-6, 8-5 Southeastern Conference). Oklahoma improved to 14-0 when Chavez leads the team in assists.

Sahara Williams added 11 points, six rebounds, and a team-high three steals.

Oklahoma started the game with a 9-0 run, and built a double-digit lead before five minutes had passed in the game. They took a 37-27 lead into the locker room at halftime, and Chavez scored 13 in the first half.

The Bulldogs rallied back, cutting the deficit to as little as two points down the stretch, but the Sooners answered each time. Raegan Beers made two free throws with 23 seconds on the clock that put the game out of reach.

Georgia (20-7, 6-7) was led by Mia Woolfolk's 29 points and nine rebounds. Dani Carnegie added 14 points, and Trinity Turner had 10. Both had six rebounds.

Up next

No. 11 Oklahoma hosts No. 21 Tennessee on Sunday.

No. 24 Georgia visits Auburn on Monday.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State star Stephen Curry had a second MRI on his troublesome right knee that revealed no structural damage, although the two-time NBA MVP is expected to miss at least another five games before being re-evaluated.

The 37-year-old guard last played Jan. 30. He has been diagnosed with patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising, otherwise referred to as runner’s knee.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry will be re-evaluated in 10 days.

“It’s just lingering soreness,” Kerr said Thursday before a game against Boston. “We were hoping, obviously, that he’d be ready for tonight after getting the All-Star break but wasn’t the case. He just needs more time.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Nyla Harris scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points and five assists and No. 22 North Carolina took down Virginia Tech 66-63 in overtime on Thursday night.

Aarnisalo, Harris, and Lanie Grant combined for all nine overtime points for the Tar Heels (22-6, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who bounced back from a 72-68 loss at then-No. 11 Duke on Sunday.

Grant made two clutch free throws with 25 seconds remaining in overtime to make it a three-point margin, and Virginia Tech missed three 3-pointers in the final seven seconds.

The game featured 11 lead changes and five ties, with neither team leading by more than nine points. Virginia Tech led 28-21 at the half.

Both teams struggled shooting, with UNC managing 37% from the floor and Virginia Tech shooting 34%.

Indya Nivar added 10 points and four steals for Carolina, and Nyla Brooks hauled in eight rebounds.

For the Hokies (20-8, 10-6), Carys Baker and Samyha Suffren each tallied 15 points. Kilah Freelon led with 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Baker grabbed eight rebounds of her own. Mackenzie Nelson dished four assists.

Up next

Both teams resume play on Sunday, as No. 22 North Carolina hosts Pitt and Virginia Tech welcomes Georgia Tech.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ny'Ceara Pryor scored 22 points and dished 10 assists, Fatmata Janneh added 17 and Lemyah Hylton put up 12 in Texas A&M's 82-74 win over No. 21 Tennessee on Thursday night.

The Aggies (11-11, 4-9 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 10-0 run to start the game, with half the points coming from Pryor. She scored 13 in the first quarter.

Texas A&M was hot from the perimeter, shooting 7 of 11 (64%) as a team from 3-point range to take a 47-42 lead going into halftime. After the break, their lead mounted with a 14-0 run that lasted just over five minutes.

Tennessee (16-9, 8-5) was led by Janiah Barker, with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Zee Spearman put up 14 and Talaysia Cooper added 11.

The Lady Volunteers found a spark in the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to close the gap to 76-74 with 2:07 to play, but couldn't keep the momentum as Texas A&M finished the game on a 6-0 run.

It was the first road win over a ranked team for the Aggies since Jan. 10, 2021, when they beat then-No. 13 Arkansas.

Up next

Tennessee: Visits No. 11 Oklahoma on Sunday.

Texas A&M: Hosts Arkansas on Sunday.

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Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

It’s been eight days since the Spurs last played a meaningful game, a 126-113 win over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. The Rodeo Road trip continues tonight in Austin, for what counts as a home game in the standings, in front of a wild Moody Center crowd. A lot has happened in the last week for the Silver and Black, as Victor Wembanyama saved the All Star Game, De’Aaron Fox hit a game winner in the All Star tourney, Carter Bryant earned a perfect score at the Slam Dunk contest (but failed to execute an ambitious dunk attempt in the finals), and Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper showed out in the Rising Stars challenge. Oh yeah, one other thing … Jeremy Sochan was released by the Spurs and has signed with the New York Knicks. Good luck to him, and I hope he does well with the change in scenery.

It’s going to be good to get back to playing basketball, as the Spurs only trail the Oklahoma City Thunder by two games in the loss column, with the Thunder having a slightly tougher schedule for the remainder of the season than the Spurs. If they want to make a run at OKC for the top spot in the west, the Spurs will need to continue to succeed on the Rodeo Road Trip. They’re currently on a six-game winning streak, their second-longest of the year after the eight-game winning streak from December 8-25. Tonight, they face the Phoenix Suns, who have already beaten the Spurs twice this season, with both losses in Arizona. This will be the first home(-ish) game for the Spurs against the Suns, with the finale on March 19 in San Antonio.

Phoenix will be without the services of Dillon Brooks tonight, as he has achieved the dubious distinction of being the first player to be assessed 16 fouls in the season, earning a one game suspension. It’s not surprising that he was the player to do this, but doing it this early in the season is something Boogie would have been proud of if he were still playing. He won’t be missed on the court by the Spurs, as his chippy play and borderline tactics tend to get under other players’ skins. The Suns are still a dangerous squad to face, as Devin Booker is a bucket, Grayson Allen is an apprentice villain on the court, and Royce O’Neale can play on both ends of the court. They’re a team with size and shooting, which is the kind of team that the Spurs have trouble handling.

It’s going to be interesting to see the Spurs will be sharp tonight after the long layoff. Victor Wembanyama looked dominant on All Star Weekend, and if he can play the same way in Austin, along with a nice game from the rest fo the All Star Weekend crew (Fox, Harper, Castle, Bryant), this should be a good night for the Silver and Black. Let’s GOO SPURS!!

Game Prediction:

Carter Bryant successfully does the trick dunk that he could not complete in the Slam Dunk competition during the fourth quarter, which leads to a benching from Mitch Johnson.

San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns (Austin)
February 19, 2026 | 7:30 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: KENS
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

The NBA is ready to do something about tanking. 

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that commissioner Adam Silver told NBA general managers that the league plans to implement “anti-tanking rule changes for next season.”

The possible changes discussed this week and in January, per Charania, include:

– First-round picks can be protected only in the top four or top-14-plus

– Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date

– No longer allowing a team to pick top four in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes

– Teams can’t pick top four the year after making conference finals

– Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records

– Lottery extended to include all play-in teams

– Flatten odds for all lottery teams

The reported crackdown comes as nearly a third of the league appears to be jockeying for draft position before a loaded 2026 class.

Talk of how to deal with tanking has taken over the NBA in recent weeks, and especially intensified after Silver fined the Jazz ($500,000) and Pacers ($100,000) for violating the NBA’s player participation policy last week.

“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” Silver said in a statement after doling out the punishments. “Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.”

Silver appeared ready to tweak the current draft system, which incentivizes losing to land a higher draft pick, and, in turn, bring in young, star-level players, during a press conference over All-Star Weekend. 

“We’ve got to look at some fresh thinking here,” Silver said. “What we’re doing, what we’re seeing right now is not working. There’s no question about it.”

Earlier on Thursday, Suns owner Mat Ishbia ripped tanking as “loser behavior” in a long rant on social media. 

Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban had a different take, writing on X that the “NBA should embrace tanking.”

The Lakers had just completed practice Thursday with a full and healthy squad when Luka Doncic strolled over to speak with the media.

Doncic had played only five minutes Sunday for Team World in the All-Star Game because of a lingering left hamstring strain. He missed the previous four Lakers games.

With the Lakers' season scheduled to restart against the Clippers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, Doncic was asked if he would be playing.

“Probably,” he said. “We’ll see. I got to talk to people.”

Since Doncic practiced, he was asked how he was doing and how his hamstring felt.

“I’m good,” he said. “Feeling good.”

It was pointed out to Doncic that he did play in the All-Star Game, even if it was limited.

“Five minutes. I was on minutes restriction,” Doncic joked.

Lakers coach JJ Redick was the first to speak to the media after practice, his time away from the game leaving him fresh and ready to go.

He was asked whether Austin Reaves, who had been on a restriction of about 25 minutes after returning from a 19-game absence because of a calf strain, would still be on a minutes restriction and whether Doncic would be available against the Clippers.

“Austin won’t have a minutes restriction,” Redick said, “and as of 35 to 45 seconds ago, we’ll have everybody available tomorrow.”

Injuries have been common for the Lakers this season.

It started at the beginning of the season, when LeBron James missed 14 games because of sciatica. Recently he dealt with arthritis in his left foot that kept him out of a game.

Center Deandre Ayton missed the last two games because of right knee soreness.

"As a coach, you have zero control in that. As a player, you know what you do to prepare, and what you do to recover can give you some level of control, but ultimately, the basketball gods in the game are going to dictate health,” Redick said. “It's funny, we were talking before the season about building continuity with those three guys, and we've had them available together for 10 games. So it's just the situation we're in.

“Not the only team that has had a bunch of health issues throughout the season and had to manage that. But I think … my messaging this morning to the players was this is going to be a sprint, these last 28 games. It's another segment of the season where, starting tomorrow, we won't have more than a day between games until the end of March. So, we've got an opportunity to, I think, play our best basketball after the All-Star break. We've got a number of indicators on both sides of the ball that we're doing some things that are trending in the right direction. And I think it's coming at a good time, as we're getting fully healthy.”

Doncic, James and Reaves have combined to average 80.2 points per game, led by Doncic’s NBA-best 32.8 points. Reaves is averaging 25.4 points and James 22.

Reaves said it is “very important” that the three get reps together.

“You have those games from last year, but obviously you still have a learning curve of how to play alongside one another and that's with everybody else on the team as well,” Reaves said. “Continuing to build that continuity and confidence in every single position. We're locked in with the five guys on the court. So, very excited.

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James agree on the most important factor for the Lakers going forward

“I think you can tell throughout the season, even with the unfortunate injuries and stuff, we've done a good job of maintaining it. We're fifth in the West, on pace for a good record and just getting healthy is going to continue to help that. So it'll be fun to see what that looks like and get to work."

The Lakers (33-21) play four games next week, all against opponents with winning records that are jockeying for position in the playoff race: Sunday vs. Boston, Tuesday vs, Orlando, Thursday at Phoenix and Feb. 28 at Golden State.

So, Thursday’s practice was a good start for the Lakers to get back in gear.

“We only got one practice in so we’re not going to get a lot out of one practice,” Doncic said. “But we definitely like to get up and down a little bit after one week off. So, it was good.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Even if it is well past the midway point of the season, the second-half push that comes after the All-Star break is very real. With the playoffs quickly approaching, the sense of urgency builds and crescendos throughout the postseason.

For the Lakers, a rocky January dropped them into a crowded pack in the middle of the standings. Only three games separate the No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets and the No. 7 seed Phoenix Suns with the Lakers positioned right in the middle at the No. 5 seed.

With no only home court advantage at stake, but a fight to remain out of the play-in, the Lakers could not have gotten healthy at a better time. With their full roster available to them, LA is going to have everything needed to make a push.

The question is, who are the most important players in their final 28 games of the regular season and ensuing postseason run?

Austin Reaves

Luka Dončić and LeBron James can be the de facto answers to this question, but that’s also a given. If their superstars don’t show up, they’re in trouble.

But Reaves is still a pretty big x-factor. For one, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen the version of Austin Reaves who was consistently putting up 25 points per night. While he did have a 35-point game off the bench recently and was limited by a minutes restriction prior to the All-Star break, the last time he had back-to-back 25-point games was in early December in Toronto and Boston.

With his minutes restriction lifted, the Lakers need the best Reaves to show up again. But he, too, also has some demons to slay from last year’s playoffs as well. His rather woeful showing against the Wolves in the playoffs — where he was hampered by a toe injury — played a notable role in the team’s quick exit.

If Reaves is back to his best, the Lakers have an elite offense and can cause problems for any team. Without him at his best, they become very beatable very quick.

Deandre Ayton

It’s been a roller coaster season for Ayton, who flew out of the gates and looked like a steal and potential long-term solution at center for the Lakers.

In his first 23 games, he averaged 15.3 points, 9 rebounds and shot 71% from the field as the Lakers jumped out to an 18-7 record.

But things have changed quite a bit since then.

A drop in production has led to a drop in minutes and, often, Ayton watching from the bench in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. In those first 23 games, he averaged 29.4 minutes per game and, more specifically, 7.2 minutes per fourth quarter.

In the 23 games since, everything has gotten worse. He’s averaging only 11.2 points and 8 rebounds, now on 63% shooting. His overall minutes have dropped to 27.2 per game and he’s only playing 5.2 minutes in fourth quarters on average.

The best version of the Lakers also includes an engaged, involved and active Ayton. They had that early in the year but lost it somewhere along the way in that aforementioned rocky January.

Everyone saw what happened last year when the Lakers lacked a reliable center in the playoffs. Will things keep trending in that direction for the remainder of the second half of the season or will Ayton find his early-season form once more?

The return of Reaves to the starting lineup, a pick-and-roll partner he had great chemistry with, should help things. But it’s also on Ayton to step up and get back to that level, too, or risk really damaging his standing not just with the Lakers, but within the NBA.

Ayton spoke in the offseason about the importance of this season in regard to how he’s viewed around the league. Not since his run to the Finals has there been a more important stretch in Ayton’s career.

Jake LaRavia

Realistically, I think you could make an argument for any of Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and LaRavia as the most important.

Smart seems like the frontrunner, for now, to remain in the starting lineup with everyone healthy while Rui will have the Sixth Man role locked down in the meantime. That leaves LaRavia, who has fluctuated between looking like a nailed-on fifth starter and unplayable at times this season.

Unfortunately, it’s been more of the latter as the season has progressed. The most notable struggles this season have been from range where he’s shooting 32.6%, a career-worst mark.

The Lakers also showcased a remarkably thin bench last season. LaRavia was brought in as part of an upgrade and a long-term play over Dorian Finney-Smith. He’s shown flashes of potential, but the Lakers need consistency and production.

For a bench that has ranked at the bottom of the league in scoring, LaRavia could be a big spark in the big games alongside Rui. But he is going to have to start producing offensively.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

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