By HoopsHype | March 30, 2025
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype Nikola Vucevic passed Johnny Kerr in rebounds and is No. 43 in NBA history now.
Also: LeBron James tied Bob McAdoo in blocks at No. 71. – 4:47 AM
Over 82 games, a good team is going to have a lot of good wins, but hard to find one much better than this one for the Lakers. They close out their four-game road trip with a 134-127 win in MEM. AR 31p 8a 7r 2s; Luka 29p 9a 8r; LeBron 25p 8a 6r 3s; Gabe 15p; Rui 13p; DFS 11p 5r – 10:33 PM
Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Jaylen Wells hardly got “the best of Luka” in this matchup, but the relentlessness while guarding him is nonetheless impressive. The Grizzlies hit the jackpot with Wells in the second round. AK – 10:23 PM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter Just a fantastic defensive play from Austin Reaves, who battled to get in front of JJJ and forced a turnover and foul on JJJ.
Reaves has 24, 8 and 7 in 32 minutes. – 10:12 PM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter Jaren Jackson Jr. was assessed a flopping technical foul for flopping with LeBron in the vicinity.
Ref called it “theatrical.” – 9:50 PM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter In three straight games now, at Indiana, Chicago and Memphis, the Lakers consistently build 10-point leads, and the home team refuses to relent.
Most recently, LeBron’s FT made it 98-88, and Memphis quickly went on a 9-3 run to trim it to 4. – 9:49 PM
Drew Hill @DrewHill_DM A no-star lineup for Memphis out there against LeBron and Luka.
… For one possession, then Iisalo goes to JJJ and Morant. – 9:37 PM
The Lakers’ 20-point lead was cut to six before going back up double digits, 72-61 at the half. Vincent 15p; Luka 14p; LeBron 14p; Reaves 13p. – 9:06 PM
Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Luka was a nice trade, but if the Lakers don’t win a championship, it will directly reflect Rob Pelinka’s failure to get Gabe Vincent enough help. AK – 8:43 PM
A really strong 1st Q from the Lakers, going up 39-28 in MEM. Luka 9p 4a; Reaves 8p 3a; Vincent 9p off the bench. – 8:36 PM
It’s been a good start overall for the Lakers, who hold a 31-23 lead after a pair of FT’s from Luka Doncic, who drew Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 2nd PF. – 8:32 PM
LeBron James has both dunked on and taken a charge from the Grizzlies’ 7-4, 305-pound rookie center Zach Edey in the 1st Q tonight so far. – 8:19 PM
JJ Redick said the Lakers’ analytics dept looked into the internet fan theory that opposing team players suddenly get healthy when it’s time to play L.A. “I think it’s like 86% of [opposing] payroll has been available to [play] us this year, which is by far No. 1 in the league” – 6:48 PM
JJ Redick was asked about opposing players going against the Lakers, with the expectation that Morant returns tonight. Earlier this season Redick had his analytics group look into it, finding that 86% of opposing team’s players have been available, which was No. 1 in the NBA. – 6:39 PM
JJ Redick when asked about the mental toll of that Chicago ending: “We’re great.” Says his team moved on yesterday and had good focus this morning in prep for the Grizzlies. – 6:35 PM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter Redick used the word “devastation” to describe the feeling after a loss like that.
He noted that the Bulls shot 11 of 14 from 3 in the 4th Q, capped by the 3 straight in the final seconds. – 10:41 PM
Khobi Price @khobi_price Halftime: Lakers 59, Bulls 58. Gabe Vincent (8p) with a 3-pointer before the buzzer. LAL outscored CHI 37-26 in the 2Q. Their current lead is their first of the game.
Austin Reaves: 14p. Jaxson Hayes: 14p/5r. LeBron James: 10p/7a/5r. Luka Doncic: 9p/6r/3a. – 9:15 PM
Dorian Finney-Smith left the game after that tangle up with Kevin Huerter. Austin Reaves checks in. – 9:07 PM
Back-to-back first-quarter challenges. Lakers and JJ Redick won his. Bulls and Billy Donovan followed with another victory. – 8:28 PM
JJ Redick said that the team hopes to have Rui Hachimura available for both legs of the two remaining back-to-backs on the schedule after CHI. Redick said keeping Hachimura out tonight was decided by his pain level being higher coming off IND than the baseline they’ve established – 6:47 PM
The Los Angeles Lakers are converting two-way Jordan Goodwin to a standard NBA contract, making him playoff eligible, sources tell ESPN. Goodwin has emerged as a key reserve for JJ Redick, averaging 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 20.5 minutes while shooting 41% from 3. pic.x.com/q0DkDC8zA3 – 11:54 AM
More on this storyline
“I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful,” Reaves said. “Tonight, it just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession. … It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level.” Los Angeles shot 50.6% and 44.2% on 3-pointers, hitting 19-for-43 from the outside. Seven of those 3s came from reserves Gabe Vincent (4-of-6) and Dorian Finney-Smith (3-of-7). “The ball was flying around because of the advantages and [James, Doncic and Reaves] getting into the paint,” Finney-Smith said. “Me, Gabe, Rui [Hachimura], [Jarred Vanderbilt], just recipients of them playing well.” -via ESPN / March 30, 2025
Because if you came to see Redick and his family here, yes, you’d walk down to the bluffs on your first day. But on Day 2 you’d head into the heart of the community, the Palisades Recreation Center, the place where Redick coached a youth basketball team, where he and Chelsea met so many of their friends, where they gathered on postcard weekends to connect. Now it’s closed because of fire damage. “What I think the rec center represents to the community and what it certainly …” Redick started saying but he couldn’t finish the sentence, stopping his walk to the bluffs to cry for everything this place has lost. He swallowed his grief, took a breath and tried again, the thought of his community losing its heartbeat nearly too much to bear. “What it certainly represented in my family, just hopeful that we can get this done in a timely fashion,” he said. -via Los Angeles Times / March 30, 2025
