Le Journal

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but a late, if not spirited, Lakers comeback fell short as they ultimately lost to the Clippers on Thursday. It’s a common theme for the team in recent years to fall behind big, fake a comeback and make the score closer than it deserved to be. As was the case against their crosstown rivals, who led by as many as 26 against a pretty woeful Lakers team. However, the purple and gold found a lineup that provided some energy late in the third and at the start of the fourth, pulling them back into the game. However, with the margin of error razor thin, a Clippers response in the final minutes ended the game, even if the Lakers tried yet again at one last dash comeback. So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player. LeBron James 36 minutes, 23 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 9-19 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-5 FT, -7 You can see how much LeBron feeds off the energy of athletic players around him. The lineup that got the team back into the game featured the Lakers flying around the court, getting some stops and getting out in transition. Grade: B+ Jake LaRavia 22 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-5 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, -15 It was a really great opening roughly two minutes of the game for LaRavia. After that, he kind of faded into the background. Grade: B– Deandre Ayton 21 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-5 FG, -14 How concerning is it that the Lakers have looked better in the last two games with Ayton off the court? Grade: D Marcus Smart 30 minutes, 10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 4-10 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1-1 FT, -1 Smart was pivotal in the Lakers’ comeback attempt as he, along with Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura, helped set the tone defensively and get stops. Grade: B+ Luka Dončić 39 minutes, 32 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 11-27 FG, 3-13 3PT, 7-10 FT, -17 Luka was really doing all he could in the first quarter and first half to keep the Lakers in it early. By the time the rest of the team caught up, he was out of rhythm. He also didn’t help his case with that late decision not to shoot after the incredible steal from Vando, but that likely wouldn’t have changed the result. Grade: A- Gabe Vincent 15 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1-2 FG, 1-1 3PT, -8 On one hand, Vincent needs to be out of the rotation. On the other hand, having gotten a good look at the other guard options on the bench, it’s hard to make an argument for any of them to get minutes. Grade: F Jaxson Hayes 17 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 3-4 FG, -4 While he was better than Ayton, the Lakers’ best lineup was a center-less one. And he did little to slow down Zubac on the boards when he was playing. Grade: C- Rui Hachimura 28 minutes, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 5-11 FG, 2-7 3PT, +6 While I could easily mention Rui finding his shot and playing a big role offensively in the comeback, there’s no way I can not mention this sequence. WOOOOOOW, RUI HACHIMURA SHUTS DOWN JORDAN MILLER pic.twitter.com/s5YqzHNIED— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) January 23, 2026 Grade: A- Jarred Vanderbilt 22 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 3 fouls, 3-5 FG, 1-1 3PT, +16 On the topic of players who helped spark the run, Vando was also at the heart of it. He still has offensive limitations and missed a couple layups, but he was very much a positive on the night. Grade: A- Drew Timme 10 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 fouls, +4 Timme’s minutes were more limited in this one, but he was still diving on the floor and making the hustle plays, which is all you could ask from a two-way signing. JJ Redick I liked some of the string Redick pulled in this. He benched Ayton on a rough night and went as far as to go…

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