ATLANTA — A late-game collapse against the Orlando Magic might be the sliding-doors moment of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024-25 season.
With 18.2 seconds remaining in a home matchup with Orlando on Nov. 21, the Lakers led 118-116. Anthony Davis stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to potentially ice the game. Instead, he missed both free throws, leading to Franz Wagner hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left. The Lakers missed four free throws over the final 37 seconds of a one-point loss.
And they haven’t been the same since.
That debacle turned what would have been a seven-game win streak (the Lakers had won six straight prior) into a stretch in which the Lakers have spiraled downward, losing seven of nine games. Their latest was a 134-132 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday to conclude a disastrous 1-3 four-game road trip. Los Angeles is 12-11, now 10th in the Western Conference after an impressive 10-4 start.
The Lakers’ season appears to be teetering, and they’re not even at Christmas yet. Four of their seven recent losses have been by 20-plus points. The group’s body language has been concerning. Coach JJ Redick and players’ pre- and postgame comments have suggested the two sides aren’t always on the same page.
And with several rotation players injured, and the Feb. 6 trade deadline still two months away, the Lakers are grappling with the fact that there’s only one way to survive their ongoing skid.
“There’s no cavalry,” Davis said. “No one feels sorry for us. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just got to continue to put our head down and grind and work. … No game’s going to be easy for us, so we got to go take the win.”
There have been myriad problems with the Lakers lately. Since the Magic meltdown, Los Angeles is 28th in offensive rating, 25th in defensive rating and 28th in net rating. Only the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards have been worse — one team obliterated by injuries to several key players and the other tanking for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Redick met with his group for film Friday morning, going over their inexcusable effort and mistakes in their 41-point drubbing to the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The message, which hasn’t been well-received by the group lately, was understood in Atlanta.
Redick replaced D’Angelo Russell, one of an opposing offense’s favorite targets, in the starting lineup with Gabe Vincent to provide a better two-way balance. Vincent responded with his best game of the season, scoring 12 points, dishing five assists and pressuring Trae Young full court over his 34 minutes.
LeBron James (39 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and three blocks) officially snapped his shooting slump by making six 3-pointers — more than his previous seven games combined. Davis (38 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks) scored more in the first half (22 points) than he had the previous two games combined (20).
But arguably the best combined game from James and Davis wasn’t enough to beat the streaking Hawks, who have won six straight games. And that’s primarily because of the Lakers’ lack of depth (partly because of multiple injuries, most notably including Austin Reaves) and bottom-five defense.
The Lakers were far more dialed in defensively against the Hawks, at least in comparison to their embarrassing efforts against Minnesota and Miami, which Redick considers notable progress. But they still have a ways to go on that end if they want to become a serious West threat.
“I told the group that I appreciated their effort, their intent, their energy. And truthfully, a lot of their execution,” Redick said. “We did enough to win a basketball game. Similar to Orlando, similar to Oklahoma City, I thought we did enough to win a basketball game. And I’m very appreciative of that.
“And you can build on that. You can adjust and scheme and maybe tweak some things, late game. That stuff you can build on.”
What the Lakers can not build on is the play that preceded the loss to the Hawks — the play that has hindered them for nearly two weeks.
Redick’s communication style seemingly hasn’t resonated with the group in the same way it did earlier in the season. He admitted as much after the Miami loss, saying the team hasn’t felt together in huddles during this recent stretch.
While there are always aspects of a game plan to nitpick, and the roster’s flaws continue to reveal themselves, the players are at the forefront of the Lakers’ current problems. Players simply haven’t been playing with the requisite level of pride and competitiveness. They’ve folded in multiple games, including losing to Denver, Phoenix and Miami by 20-plus in each second half. That has included Davis and James, whose respective body languages have been subpar and have led the charge with not playing hard all the time.
But that lack of focus has also manifested in close games, including on Friday. Similar to their recent losses against the Magic and Thunder, the Lakers had several late-game blunders that ultimately cost them.
Davis, in particular, had several self-inflicted wounds, not unlike the Orlando disaster. He turned the ball over on a pass to James with 28 seconds left in overtime. James saved the mistake by blocking Dyson Daniels’ dunk attempt off of him. But with another chance on the next possession, Davis was quickly trapped and tied up for a jump ball. The Lakers couldn’t collect the loose ball even with a numbers advantage.
On their final possession, the Lakers botched a switch between Davis and Vincent — eerily similar to Davis and Cam Reddish messing up their switch that allowed Wagner to drain the game-winning 3-pointer for the Magic — and Trae Young drilled an open game-winning 3-pointer.
“I don’t know if it was communication or whatnot, but you can’t mess up the (switches) with Trae Young,” Redick said. “Left him open.”
From the Lakers’ perspective, there is context worth mentioning with their recent struggles. They argue they’ve been on the road for most of this stretch. They had a road back-to-back (at Phoenix and San Antonio) before returning home to play Oklahoma City just after Thanksgiving. Then, they went back on the road for this four-game trip. Redick and players have referred to it as essentially a seven-game road trip. It doesn’t help that’s also coincided with a significant step up in the level of competition.
They’ve also been without Reaves (their third-best player) for four straight games, as well as Jarred Vanderbilt (their best perimeter defender), Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood (both of their backup centers). James referenced those four players as critical absences within the Lakers’ “top 11” of their would-be rotation.
Reaves’ absence, in particular, has been notable. He’s averaging 16.7 points and 4.8 assists this season as Los Angeles’ third option.
“Mismatching with lineups, we’re trying to figure out ways, obviously,” James said. “So, it’s very challenging. We don’t have much room for error. … It’s big, big, big, big pieces.”
While those factors have undeniably played a role in the Lakers’ downturn, that doesn’t explain away multiple 20-point blowouts or critical mistakes in their close losses. The players need to be better with their competitive spirit, professional pride and attention to detail. The coaching staff needs to figure out how to best deliver messages and prevent the group from splintering. The front office needs to strongly consider using its several mid-sized salaries and two first-round picks to upgrade the roster over the coming weeks.
The Lakers return to Los Angeles Saturday for six days. They host the Trail Blazers on Sunday night before having Monday and Tuesday off as recovery days. The group will reconvene for practice on Wednesday before flying to Minnesota on Thursday ahead of their Friday matchup with the Timberwolves.
The break will provide a chance for rest, reflection and regrouping. The Lakers have a get-right game at home against the 8-14 Trail Blazers, who are 3-9 on the road. Reaves, who is day-to-day with his pelvic injury, could be back on Sunday or, at the latest, Friday in Minnesota. His return will be a welcomed addition.
“I don’t know as far as what will get us over the hump,” James said of how the Lakers can stay afloat. “We just gotta just not drown. Don’t drown, and we’ll be all right.”
There is still plenty of time for the Lakers to turn things around, re-establish their culture from earlier in the season and ascend in the standings. But if they can’t, for whichever of the reasons plaguing them, the loss to the Magic is where things changed for the worse.
(Photo of LeBron James and Dyson Daniels: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
