Luka Doncic

Gilgeous-Alexander, Mitchell Named Players Of The Week

November 24th, 2025 at 2:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter links).

Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champions to four wins during the week of November 17-23 while averaging 31.0 points and 6.5 assists per contest and shooting 60% from the field and 64.3% from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City was +82 in SGA’s 125 minutes on the court last week.

Gilgeous-Alexander also earned Player of the Week honors three weeks ago and is the second repeat winner of the award this season, joining Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Mitchell posted averages of 31.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as the Cavaliers went 3-1 this past week. He opened and closed the week with matching 37-point performances against the Bucks and Clippers, going 14-of-22 from the field in each of those two outings.

Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Luka Doncic (Lakers), De’Aaron Fox (Spurs), James Harden (Clippers) and Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees for Player of the Week.

Jalen Duren (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Brandon Ingram (Raptors), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Norman Powell and Kel’el Ware (Heat), Ryan Rollins (Bucks) and Franz Wagner (Magic) were also nominated in the East.

Details On Power Struggle Between Mavs’ Cuban, Harrison

November 19th, 2025 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

After speaking to more than a dozen sources within the Mavericks‘ organization, Tim MacMahon of ESPN took a deep dive today into the events that led up to Nico Harrison‘s dismissal as the team’s head of basketball operations last week, painting a detailed picture of a long-running power struggle between Harrison and minority owner Mark Cuban.

As MacMahon outlines, Cuban hired Harrison as Dallas’ president of basketball operations and general manager back in 2021, when Cuban was still the team’s majority owner and had the final say on basketball decisions. After Cuban sold control of the franchise to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont in late 2023, he maintained a 27% stake in the team and hoped to continue running the basketball operations department too, but quickly found himself pushed out of the inner circle.

“Mark is a friend. I will consult him from time to time,” Dumont said during a basketball operations meeting after taking over as the Mavericks’ governor, according to MacMahon’s sources. “But make no mistake about this: I’m the governor of the team and I am making decisions.”

Sources inside the organization tell MacMahon that Dumont’s announcement was a welcome one to many people in the organization, including Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd, who were “often frustrated by what they perceived as Cuban’s frequently unproductive meddling in personnel decisions.”

However, sources familiar with Cuban’s thinking tell ESPN that he never meant for Harrison to have full autonomy on basketball decisions and that he didn’t believe the former Nike executive was qualified to be making those decisions, having hired him due to his relationships with players and agents. During Harrison’s first couple years with the team, Cuban still had to sign off on any personnel moves the Mavs made, while veteran executive Dennis Lindsey was brought in to “help mask Harrison’s perceived shortcomings as an inexperienced NBA executive,” MacMahon writes.

After Harrison became the Mavericks’ primary basketball decision-maker and Lindsey left for a job in Detroit, Cuban sought to regain some of the control he had lost. He now once again has Dumont’s ear in the wake of Harrison’s ouster.

“Mark’s been trying a palace coup for months,” a team source told ESPN.

Here are more highlights from MacMahon’s report:

After Dumont took over as the Mavs’ governor, Harrison began reporting directly to him instead of going through Cuban, as he sought to “ice out” the former majority owner. “Nico basically said, ‘Dude, I don’t want to deal with Mark anymore. He’s too much,” a team source told ESPN.
According to MacMahon, Harrison blamed Cuban for some of the Mavs’ biggest roster-related missteps in recent years, including losing Jalen Brunson and trading for Christian Wood, a player Kidd “didn’t want to coach.” Other members of the coaching staff and front office also blamed Cuban for those moves, MacMahon writes, adding that Harrison made the case to the new ownership group that the front office would function better without Cuban’s involvement.
Harrison strengthened that case by making savvy deals for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the 2024 trade deadline and getting the Mavs to the NBA Finals, according to MacMahon, who notes that those deals only materialized after a trade sending two first-round picks to Washington for Kyle Kuzma fell through. “Nico did a hell of a sales job,” a Mavs official told ESPN. “He took credit for everything that was done. When Patrick asked questions — asked how we got Kyrie (Irving), how the draft happened, etc. — (Harrison) said he was the guy. We got on a roll and went to the Finals. Fool’s gold.”
While Dumont asked Harrison to keep Cuban in the fold, Harrison didn’t always do so — he and Cuban were communicating less and less after the sale, according to MacMahon. “Nico built the moat and put up the fence and said, ‘I got this!'” one source familiar with the situation told ESPN. Sources also said that Harrison was telling Dumont what he wanted the team governor to know, rather than everything Dumont needed to know. “The one guy in basketball ops who had a pipeline to Dumont wasn’t giving him the straight scoop,” a source said.
Having fully gained Dumont’s trust, Harrison sold him on February’s Luka Doncic blockbuster, making the case that committing to the star guard on a super-max contract worth a projected $345MM would be a bad investment due to conditioning concerns and recurring calf injuries, per MacMahon. At the time, Harrison and Doncic’s camp weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on the recovery process for his latest calf strain, which Harrison portrayed to Dumont as evidence that the perennial MVP candidate wasn’t fully committed to the Mavs. As MacMahon writes, Harrison also convinced Dumont not to loop Cuban in on those trade talks, contending doing so would likely result in a leak.
Cuban, who blamed Harrison rather than Dumont for the way in which his role in the organization was minimized, spoke out against the Doncic trade after the fact, and once the Mavs won the draft lottery in May he began pushing more aggressively for Dumont to make a front office change, MacMahon reports. Cuban’s case gained credibility because his criticisms of Harrison’s roster construction proved true — for instance, Cuban warned Dumont that a lack of ball-handling and play-making would result in Dallas having a poor offense, concerns which Harrison dismissed. The Mavs currently have the second-worst offense in the NBA.
Cuban’s relationship with Dumont never became contentious and he’s now once again part of the small group of team officials that has the governor’s ear, along with Kidd and co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi. One source who spoke to MacMahon made it clear that Cuban is more of a consultant than a decision-maker, but the former majority Mavs owner is nonetheless thrilled to be back in the inner circle. “He’s walking around on air right now,” another team source told ESPN. “Cuban’s floating in his Skechers.”

Mavs Notes: Dirk, Harrison, Luka, AD, Turnovers, Flagg

November 15th, 2025 at 2:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, recently weighed in on the team’s dismissal of head of basketball operations Nico Harrison (Twitter video link).

“Well, I think there’s just too many distractions, too much going on to keep going this way. This move should have probably happened this summer honestly,” Nowitzki said (hat tip to NBA insider Marc Stein). “I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.

“I just knew … I figured this fan base is a passionate and loyal fan base. I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years. And I knew they weren’t (going to) just get over it, as people say, or forget about it. They’re extremely passionate.

“And this (Luka Doncic) trade just made no sense. It made no sense to (the fans). And, really, there was no explanation for it, either. You go to the (NBA) Finals the year before. You gave up all these assets to build, really, the team around Luka with some 6-9 wings that all can switch and guard. You had two lob threats with (Daniel) Gafford and (Dereck) Lively II and the team was built around him.

“You added Klay (Thompson) (when) the shooting was a little bit of an issue in the Finals against Boston. So you did all this. … Going into (the) Christmas Day game, they were 14-3 out of the last 17 games, so they’re just starting to hit their stride and then Luka gets hurt. And unfortunately that’s the last game he’s ever played in a Mavs uniform.

“It was very sad. It was very sad how that ended and it felt like … the fans feel like they got robbed of actually seeing the end, seeing this through, seeing Luka develop into hopefully a champion one day and it feels like they never got to see the end to this. So this was very heartbreaking.

“But now it’s time to move on. … Focus on this team, on this franchise. (The trade) definitely set the franchise back. But now it’s about building it back up. Obviously this team is struggling a bit, it needs the support all they can get. Hopefully we can have a good year here from now on and cheer the team up.”

Here’s more from Dallas:

After the Lakers lost to the Thunder on Wednesday, Doncic was asked for his reaction to the firing of Harrison, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. “The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Doncic said. “I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So that will always be a special place for me. I will always call it home. But right now, I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. But obviously, always there will be a part of me there. But just trying to move on and focus on what I’m doing here.”
Star big man Anthony Davis has been listed as questionable for each of the past four games, but he has yet to make his return from a left calf strain. League sources confirm to Stein that Davis won’t suit up again until the team’s medical staff informs governor Patrick Dumont that the 10-time All-Star has been fully cleared (Twitter link). Davis’ health status was reportedly a point of contention in the days leading up to Harrison’s dismissal.
Although the Mavs were able to claw their way back into Friday’s double-overtime loss to the Clippers, excessive turnovers — they committed 25 in the game — proved too difficult to overcome, particularly in crunch time, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “It’s something we’ve talked about,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We have to address it. We have to do better if we want to win — being able to get a shot, and then you want to get a quality shot. The turnovers hurt us. In overtime we had turnovers where we didn’t get a shot.”
After Friday’s game, Flagg admitted he feels more comfortable at his natural position of forward rather than running the point, which the No. 1 overall pick was asked to do to open the season. “Being a point guard comes with a lot of responsibility,” Flagg said, per Afseth. “I don’t know if I was ready for that right away. It doesn’t mean I can’t go back to it or improve… but lately it’s been better having someone else help with pressure.”

L.A. Notes: LeBron, Luka, Thiero, Clippers’ Young Reserves

November 13th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Rory Maher

LeBron James, whose season debut has been delayed by sciatica on his right side, is ramping up his activity. The Lakers superstar practiced with the team’s G League affiliate on Wednesday, including doing contact five-on-five work, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group writes.

“It was also an incredible opportunity for [South Bay coach] Zach [Guthrie] and his staff and all the guys that are with South Bay right now to have that experience,” head coach JJ Redick said. “But the reports are that he looked good, and was moving well.”

James was also a full participant in South Bay’s practice on Thursday and showed no ill effects from Wednesday’s session, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who hears from sources that the 40-year-old forward could practice with the Lakers on Monday if he continues to experience no discomfort in the coming days.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

The Lakers were thoroughly outclassed by the Thunder on Wednesday, losing by 29 points. After being limited to a season-low 19 points (on 7-of-20 shooting), star guard Luka Doncic said he wasn’t concerned about the apparent gap between the two teams, instead using it as a source of motivation. “Definitely wasn’t our best game, probably one of the worst this season,” Doncic said, per Price. “They all did a great job on me. They’re champions for a reason. They showed that. We need to be more ready. Obviously, it starts with me. I need to be way better than that.”
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero has been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup in New Orleans, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. The 21-year-old was selected 36th overall in the 2025 draft, but has yet to make his NBA debut after undergoing left knee surgery in college. Redick previously expressed optimism that the high-flying forward could return during the team’s current road trip, which concludes Saturday in Milwaukee.
While the Clippers have had a rough start to the season – they hold a 3-8 record after dropping six straight games – their young reserves have been a bright spot of late. Second-year guard Cam Christie had some encouraging performances late last week against Phoenix, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, then Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders received rotation minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Denver, with third-year wing Miller having a career night (22 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes). “I thought they came in, gave us a lot of energy … so they got to keep growing, these young guys,” head coach Tyronn Lue said (story via Carr). “They’re going to make some mistakes, we understand that. But I did love the way they played. I thought they played the right way. The ball moved, guys got open shots, we attacked the paint, made the right play, and so just kept giving those guys room to grow. And I thought tonight was a step in the right direction.”

Lakers’ Reaves On Future: ‘I Want To Be In L.A.’

November 11th, 2025 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Austin Reaves essentially picked up where he left off on Monday following a three-game injury absence, registering 24 points, seven assists, and five rebounds across 29 minutes of action in a win over Charlotte. While he has only appeared in eight games so far, Reaves has maintained a scoring average exceeding 30 PPG and is boosting his value in a contract year.

As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes, Reaves and his camp turned down an extension offer from the Lakers during the summer, since L.A. is currently limited to offering about $87MM over four years. However, the 27-year-old expressed to McMenamin that he’d like to stick with the Lakers long-term and won’t necessarily be looking to extract every last dollar he can when he reaches free agency next summer.

“I’ve said it a million times. I want to be in L.A. I love it,” Reaves said. “Even though the other extension was turned down, that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to go get a f—ing gigantic number that don’t make sense. I want to be here, I want to win. I want to do everything that can help this organization be better. So I don’t try to think about those things.”

Although Reaves has a player option for 2026/27, the expectation is that he’ll decline that option next summer in order to sign a new contract. Based on the NBA’s latest salary cap projections, he’d be eligible for a contract worth up to $240.7MM over five years with the Lakers or a four-year, $178.5MM deal with another team.

As McMenamin outlines, two of Reaves’ “contemporaries” at shooting guard, Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole, are on deals that pay them about 20% of the cap. A comparable contract for Reaves would start at $33MM — with 8% annual raises, that would be worth about $147.8MM over four years or $191.4MM over five.

Of course, with a handful of retooling teams projected to have cap room in 2026, it’s possible a rival suitor will make an aggressive offer that makes life difficult for the Lakers and complicates Reaves’ decision.

“AR’s a stud,” an Eastern Conference team executive told McMenamin. “If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would throw all the money at him. He has shown when he gets the keys to the engine, he can produce.”

In addition to increasing his on-court production this fall, Reaves is developing a close friendship with Luka Doncic, McMenamin notes. That figures to make him all the more valuable to the Lakers, who are seeking long-term complementary pieces for their franchise player.

“They both realized that they both enjoy talking trash — a lot,” head coach JJ Redick said of his backcourt duo. “And their personalities in that regard are very similar. And so they can create a little bit of chemistry with each other just by being their natural selves.”

According to McMenamin, Redick has also encouraged Reaves to take on more of a leadership role with the team this season, and the former undrafted guard has responded well to that push.

“The biggest thing was him taking a step forward as a leader and recognizing that it’s as much his team as it is LeBron (James)‘ team or Luka’s team,” Redick told ESPN. “And acknowledging that he does have innate, natural leadership skills and being able to tap into those more consistently. I told him, he’s out of excuses. You’re no longer the undrafted guy who’s a young player. You’re one of the (main) guys now, and he’s been very responsive to that.”

Lakers Notes: Bronny, Reaves, Offense, Vincent

November 8th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers‘ injury woes are providing an opportunity for Bronny James, who’s seeing regular minutes for the first time in his career, writes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. The second-year shooting guard was on the court for 18 and 19 minutes in back-to-back wins over Miami and Portland earlier this week and made an impact in the fourth quarter of both games. He contributed three steals against the Heat and had six assists with no turnovers against the Trail Blazers.

“Ready to take advantage of the times that I get when our guys are out,” James said. “I’m going to stay aggressive.”

Coach JJ Redick attributes James’ improvement to his ability to adjust to the speed of the NBA game. Redick wants his players to determine whether they’re going to shoot, dribble or pass within a half-second of receiving the ball, and James wasn’t ready as a rookie to make those quick decisions.

“He’s now developed where he’s got a great point-five mentality,” Redick said. “He’s catch-and-shoot ready at all times.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Austin Reaves missed his third straight game on Saturday, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out of action much longer, Nguyen adds in the same piece. Medical imaging revealed that he has a mild right groin strain, but Reddick told reporters that Reaves’ pain level is “really low.” Nguyen states that Reaves plans to play golf during the five-game road trip and he could be back in action before the Lakers return home.
Khobi Price of The Orange County Register examines how the offense has been able to succeed despite the absence of LeBron James, who remains sidelined with sciatica. Luka Doncic (40 PPG) and Reaves (31.1) have led the attack, but the Lakers can also rely on scoring depth, with Deandre Ayton (17.5), Rui Hachimura (16.7), Jake LaRavia (12.1) and Marcus Smart (10.3) all averaging in double figures.
Redick said Gabe Vincent is making progress in his recovery from a sprained left ankle that has sidelined him since October 26, Price tweets. Vincent hasn’t done any contact work yet, but Redick is hoping his two- to four-week recovery timeline is closer to three weeks.

Mavs Notes: Harrison, AD, Gafford, Dirk, Cuban, Cisse, More

November 8th, 2025 at 2:15pm CST by Rory Maher

At 2-7, the Mavericks are in last place in the Western Conference, having lost at home to the 1-8 Wizards and the 2-6 Pelicans, who were on the second end of a back-to-back (and without Zion Williamson). They nearly suffered another home defeat to the 1-7 Pacers.

Dallas currently has the worst offensive rating in the NBA by a significant margin.

The disastrous start has people around the league questioning whether head of basketball operations Nico Harrison could be fired sooner rather than later, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the Howdy Partners podcast with Michael C. Wright (YouTube link).

“A legitimate question right now is: Is Nico Harrison’s job in serious jeopardy? That is an absolutely legitimate question,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “It’s the question obviously Mavericks fans have been hoping would be answered with an affirmative since early February.

“I don’t have a firm answer for you right now — that’s as much as I can tell you. But it is absolutely a legitimate question. When you talk to people about the Mavericks around the league, it is the first question that people are asking.

“(Harrison) stuck his neck out by making the most unpopular trade in NBA history.”

As MacMahon pointed out, Harrison has come under heavy scrutiny since he shockingly decided to trade franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.

With an ill-fitting, injury-plagued roster and Doncic thriving in Los Angeles, Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News argues it’s time for governor Patrick Dumont to listen to the fans who have been chanting for Harrison’s dismissal ever since the deal was completed.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Star big man Davis has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s matchup against Washington after missing the past four contests with a left calf strain, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “He seems in good spirits, and I think he’s doing fine health-wise,” head coach Jason Kidd said Friday. “So we’ll see. But I don’t know about (Saturday).” MacMahon hears Davis has been targeting tonight’s contest for his return to action (Twitter link). Center Daniel Gafford is also questionable after aggravating his right ankle sprain in Friday’s loss in Memphis.
Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, didn’t mince words about the team’s poor start on Friday, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “I feel bad for my Mavs fans,” Nowitzki said. “This has been a disastrous start. Obviously, there’s a hole at the point guard and play-making position…at shot creating, at shot making. They can’t shoot, they can’t make plays…nobody can make shots. It’s been tough to watch.”
Longtime majority stakeholder and current minority owner Mark Cuban also weighed in on the team’s struggles during a radio appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, according to Townsend. “You know, I’m not thrilled with the composition of the team,” Cuban said. “I think we’re imbalanced. We don’t have enough depth at point guard. We don’t have somebody who’s a creator that gets other people shots or enough of that. And so I didn’t think we were going to crush it and start off 8-0, but I didn’t expect 2-6 (as of Friday).”
Rookie center Moussa Cisse, who is on a two-way contract, provided a spark off the bench on Friday amid what was an otherwise dispiriting loss at Memphis, Afseth writes for Dallas Hoops Journal. The 23-year-old big man finished with career highs of 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting) and eight rebounds in 14 minutes — the team was plus-18 during his time on the court in the 14-point loss. “He plays hard — that’s how he plays,” Kidd said. “He’s out there to prove that he belongs. He’s hungry, and that’s what stands out when you watch him play. He plays one way — he plays hard and he plays fast.”
Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal and Townsend of The Dallas Morning News pass along several more quotes from Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies, who entered the night on a four-game losing streak (Memphis is now 4-6).

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Ayton, Smart, Harding

November 6th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

LeBron James is reportedly gearing up to play five-on-five. The 40-year-old superstar’s 2025/26 season debut has been delayed by sciatica on his right side.

According to the Lakers, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has been cleared for contact work and will be reevaluated in one-to-two weeks (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).

Here’s more on the Lakers:

The team recorded an impressive victory on Wednesday against San Antonio despite missing James and Austin Reaves (right groin soreness), writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Luka Doncic had a poor shooting night, but still finished with game highs of 35 points, 13 assists and five steals (he also contributed nine rebounds and two blocks).
Perhaps more importantly, Deandre Ayton (22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, one steal, two blocks, and zero turnovers) outdueled Victor Wembanyama (19 points on 5-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, and five turnovers before fouling out) in the battle of former No. 1 overall picks, Murray notes. “That’s something I’ve been wanting to show, especially to my coaching staff as well,” Ayton said of his defense. “And they trust me to really go out there and guard one or two dribbles before my help come. And yeah, I’ll be good, comfortable out there. I know my help coming, so I’m straight.”
Veteran guard Marcus Smart nearly blew the game after committing a careless turnover in the final seconds, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Smart stepped on the end line as he attempted to make an inbounds pass. “To have that call at the end of the game, 1.2 [seconds], we got a guy wide open, all he’s got to do is catch it and the ballgame is over,” Smart said. “It’s kind of crazy, but as a 12-year vet, I can’t make that mistake. I take full ownership of it. My teammates understand. They are going to joke with me. They are going to let me hear about it. But it will never happen again.”
Within an in-depth story for ESPN.com, McMenamin writes that Lakers assistant coach Lindsey Harding aspires to be the first female head coach in NBA history. Governor Jeanie Buss believes Harding has all the tools for the job. “She’s a professional, she knows the game, she is a great communicator, she brings a level of energy, positivity. She is just great,” Buss told ESPN. “I’m just thrilled that she is part of our staff. But I understand if people are going to try to pick her off because she’s just that good.”

Lakers Notes: Luka, Reaves, Ayton, Kleber, LaRavia, Smart

November 3rd, 2025 at 4:43pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers guards Luka Doncic (lower left leg contusion injury management) and Austin Reaves (right groin soreness) have been ruled out for Monday’s contest in Portland, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays.

It’s the second night of a back-to-back for Los Angeles, which defeated Miami on Sunday to improve to 5-2 on the season.

Doncic missed three games last week due to the leg injury as well as a left finger sprain. This will be his fourth missed game.

As for Reaves, this will be his first absence of the 2025/26 campaign. A source tells Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the 27-year-old played through the groin issue on Sunday and the team is hopeful that it isn’t serious.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Starting center Deandre Ayton missed the second half of Friday’s win over Memphis and all of Sunday’s contest due to back spasms, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. “He’s still dealing with some tightness and spasms in that mid-back,” head coach JJ Redick said before Sunday’s game. The Bahamian big man is questionable vs. Portland, McMenamin notes, as is Maxi Kleber, who could make his season debut on Monday after missing the first seven games with an strained abdominal muscle.
After a slow start over his first four games (6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists on .348/.333/.556 shooting), free agent addition Jake LaRavia has been scorching hot in the past three contests, averaging 21.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.7 SPG on .781/.667/.583 shooting. Redick was effusive in his praise of the 6’8″ forward after Sunday’s win, saying he “just knows how to play,” as Dan Woike of The Athletic writes. “He just has a really good feel,” Redick said of LaRavia. “His knack for the basketball as a defender. His knack for the basketball as a rebounder. He just has a real intuitive feel for the game.”
According to Jillian Adge of The Kings Herald (Twitter link), the Kings were determined to keep LaRavia in free agency but were outbid by the Lakers — Sacramento was limited to offering the 24-year-old a starting salary of $5.16MM in 2025/26 after Memphis declined his fourth-year option last fall, while L.A. was able to exceed that figure ($6MM this season and next). Matt George of ABC 10 confirms (via Twitter) the Kings wanted to re-sign LaRavia and were confident they’d be able to, but the extra money — and LaRavia’s close relationship with Reaves — made signing with the Lakers an “easy” call for the former first-round pick.
Veteran guard Marcus Smart, another free agent addition, had a solid all-around performance on Sunday, finishing with 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block. He also made several “momentum-changing hustle plays,” according to Price. “Unbelievable impact,” Doncic said of Smart. “I’ve played against this guy a lot. He was always guarding me, so I know how it feels for the other team. I’m glad he’s on my team, and the impact he has [is] unbelievable. He’s been hustling every game, every moment, every minute, every second.”

Lakers Notes: Doncic, Smart, Ayton, Reaves, NBA Cup

November 1st, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Dana Gauruder

In his return to action on Friday, Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic reached heights only achieved by Wilt Chamberlain. Doncic scored 44 points in a win over Memphis, becoming the only player in NBA history other than Chamberlain to top 40 points in three straight games to begin his season.

Doncic had missed the previous three games with a sprained finger on his left hand and a lower left leg contusion.

“I mean, I feel great,” Doncic said when told about joining Chamberlain that category, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But obviously, if we get a win, I feel even better. So that’s the whole point, trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it’s going to be scoring, sometimes other things.”

By averaging 45.3 points in his first three games, Doncic became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to average 45 or more in any three-game span. He doesn’t see himself keeping up the 4o-per game pace throughout a whole season.

“That’s going to be tough,” Doncic said. “Sometimes they’re going to double me more. Sometimes I won’t be able to score that much. I had I think three or four shots that were crazy shots that I felt like doing, but they were terrible shots. … I’ve got to work on that. But that’s tough. I don’t know.”

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After missing two games due to a quad contusion, Marcus Smart contributed 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals on Friday. “He was great,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “The main point about physicality, I think he, along with a couple other guys, but he’s gotta be the leader of the physicality. He’s gotta set the tone and there were a lot of moments where he did that. But it made a big difference and then he just played really good on the offensive end, made some timely shots for us.”
Starting center Deandre Ayton didn’t play in the second half after experiencing back spasms. Redick said Ayton was available to play in the fourth quarter, but didn’t want to “risk it,” according to Price.
Austin Reaves averaged 40 points during the three games Doncic missed. He had a season-low 21 points against Memphis and was disappointed with his 5-of-14 shooting performance. “His ability to get us off to hot starts is big for us because, if you come out and he has 15 in the first, we’re going to score, I would assume, 30 (points),” Reaves said of Doncic. “Unless everybody else is shooting bricks like I was (Friday).”
The Lakers’ win on Friday was the first of four NBA Cup group play games. Their other matchups are at the Pelicans on Nov. 14, at home vs. the Clippers on Nov. 25 and at home vs. the Mavericks on Nov. 28, Price notes. “It’s my little taste of an All-Star Game,” Ayton said. “It feels like that’s when everybody [is] watching, and everybody playing their hardest. Dudes are playing extremely hard. It feels like playoff games, the fans are super into it.”

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