Stats With Context: 70-Game Check
The Lakers are peaking at the right time...why and how real is this run?
The last 20 games for the Lakers have been such a roller coaster that we missed the last 10-game check.
It’s been a wild month and a half since my last check at the 50-game mark on February 9th. The vibes have been cautiously optimistic, the Lakers have been winning, and Austin Reaves just returned from his prolonged injury absence. The trade deadline has passed, and we were still trying to shake off some of the disappointment as Rob Pelinka decided not to make any bigger moves, keeping his powder dry for the summer.
So, this one is going to cover two in one—the 60- and 70-game marks, or 71, to be exact. After our last check, the Lakers hit another lull, winning only 2 of their next 7 games. The last three games of that stretch, three consecutive losses to the Celtics, Magic, and Suns, might have been the turning point of the season. After that, the Lakers responded with one of their best runs in recent memory, winning 12 of their last 13 games, with the vibes at their highest point since the trade for Luka Dončić reshaped the trajectory of this team.
In this check, I’ll try to dig into what happened, what changed, and how sustainable this is going forward.
Today’s highlights:
Quick look at the Western Conference race
Lakers point differential and Four Factors check
Health, new roles, sacrifices, and comfort zone
Luka’s late MVP push
Offense turnaround: three-point shooting and turnovers
Defense turnaround: how much is just shooting luck?
Transition turnaround
1-Quick look at the Western Conference race
Chart context: With the Western Conference race entering its final stretch, this is where every game starts to swing the standings. Before zooming in on the Lakers, let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. A few quick observations stand out.
Looking at the top of the conference, two teams stand out both in the standings and advanced stats (point differential, offense and defense rankings). The Thunder and the Spurs continue with their dominant run, consistently staying in or near the top five on both offense and defense. OKC fell out of the top five on offense, but with the return of Ajay Mitchell and Jaylen Williams, they are trending up again.
The Rockets have been a team in that territory for most of the season. However, since Steven Adams’ injury, the drop-off in their offensive superpower—their historical edge on the offensive glass—has been the main reason their offense is trending down. The Nuggets remain the best offense in the NBA, but also the only contender ranked in the bottom third on defense. The Timberwolves, the last team to round out the top six, declined in form after their ascent in February but remain near the top ten rankings on both ends. We’ll see how they navigate the Anthony Edwards absence—so far, they’ve won three of four games, mostly with a dominant defense.
