Laker Film Room - Dedicated To The Study Of Lakers Basketball

The Lakers did not come out ready to play against the Kings and got blasted Wednesday night, falling behind by 20 points in the 1st quarter and never being able to fully dig themselves out of the hole. Pete and Darius discuss the role LeBron and Anthony Davis played in the slow start, LeBron's great play after that, AD's physical struggles during the game, and the ways the Kings took advantage of the Lakers' individual and collective defense. And then later, the guys discuss possible in-house solutions for how to support AD in more physically taxing matchups.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers shot the lights out and thrashed the Grizzlies in one of their best offensive performances of the season Tuesday night. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, highlighting the historically great shooting night the Lakers had, some shifts they've made offensively that have helped generate those shots, and how Anthony Davis' dominance on defense helped shut down the paint on the other end. Then later, the guys highlight what they're seeing from Cam Reddish on both sides of the ball and a big defensive tweak that has upped the team's aggressiveness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers had an eventful and successful weekend, winning games on Friday and Sunday vs. the Suns and Blazers to get back to .500 on the season. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the weekend's events, diving into both wins, the starting lineup change, Anthony Davis' strong play to close out Portland, D'Angelo Russell's passing, Austin Reaves and Cam Reddish adapting to their new roles, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers wrap up their road trip in Phoenix on Friday night and enter the game in real need of a win against a backdrop of frustrations, injuries, and a winless record on the road. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the vibe around the team and why waiting on better player health to solve all their issues would be a mistake. Then later, the guys discuss the matchup with the Suns, who will be without Devin Booker, but will have Bradley Beal back to test the Lakers defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Without Anthony Davis (among others), the Lakers got blown out in Houston by the Rockets on Wednesday night. Pete and Darius discuss the loss, but also break down how the game highlights larger structural issues with the team's offense that are not necessarily just about injuries and who is or is not available to play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The shorthanded Lakers fell by single point to the Heat on Monday night, losing not only the game, but Anthony Davis to a hip spasm in the 3rd quarter and D'Angelo Russell to an ejection for arguing with the referees. Still the Lakers hung tough, and missed a shot at the buzzer that could have won the game. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, diving into the team's injury issues, the improved effort and attentiveness on the backboards, Austin Reaves back to being Austin, the LeBron and Christian Wood pairing offensively, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers surrendered 36 second chance points in a blowout loss on Saturday, a franchise-high for Orlando. The guys discuss the reasons behind this recurring issue, why the short term solutions may be different than the long term ones, and why LeBron is a central consideration in addressing the defensive glass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers are on the road for their first extended trip of the season, beginning in Orlando for a rematch with the Magic. Mike and Darius discuss the current state of the team heading into these games, including health updates on Gabe Vincent (among others), the impact injuries are having on the rotation and the success of some of the big lineups being used as a result, and AD's continued dominance defensively. And then later, the guys discuss a preview of the Magic game.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Down four rotation players, the Lakers came back from another big first half deficit to take a late game lead vs. the Clippers, nearly gave it away at the end, but then held on in overtime to get the victory. Pete and Darius discuss the up, down, and up again nature of the game, highlighting LeBron's great scoring night, another impressive AD performance, a 2nd half offense surge from the guards, going big defensively (and then later not) and why that mattered, and much more. And then later, the guys discuss Austin Reaves finally finding his rhythm and the adjustments made that helped him do it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers won a slog of a game vs. the Magic on Monday night, getting great games from Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell, along with another good Christian Wood performance on defense and the glass. Pete and Darius discuss the game, what's working for the Lakers on defense, their continued challenges offensively, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers lost in overtime to the Kings in frustrating fashion on Sunday night and, in the aftermath, Darvin Ham said he planned to look at his rotations and fine tune things. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, the starting lineups struggles, the issues on their defensive glass, and much more. And then later, the guys dive into the team's lineups, what's working, what isn't, what they would like to see changed. Lastly, the guys discuss Austin Reaves' struggles to start the season.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers got their first win of the season over the shorthanded Suns with a furious 4th quarter comeback led by LeBron and Anthony Davis, along with great defensive support from Christian Wood. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the frustrating early parts of the game, the Lakers spamming their physical advantages late, AD's 4th quarter, and Wood's defense on Kevin Durant and his defensive rebounding. Then later, the guys discuss the growing pains the team is showing offensively and they debate how to better integrate Austin Reaves on that end of the floor.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers are back in action against the Suns on Thursday night and will need to make improvements offensively from their loss vs. Denver to get a win. Pete, Mike, and Darius explore some of the team's struggles offensively, discuss areas where they hope to see improvement, and then forecast how those adjustments can manifest vs. the Suns in looking forward to Thursday night. And then later, the guys discuss the Suns injury issues and how that could impact the game on both sides of the ball.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers lost to the Nuggets on opening night in a game that felt like a continuation of their playoff series. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, including the team's struggles offensively when LeBron was off the floor, AD's scoreless 2nd half, LeBron's reduced minutes, and the Nuggets general connectivity and chemistry compared to the Lakers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Opening night is nearly here and the Lakers begin their season with a rematch of the Western Conference Finals vs. the Nuggets. Pete and Darius preview the game, focusing on how the Lakers offensive shifts to more five-out looks can help them vs. the Nuggets defense, the challenges of their own transition defense vs. Denver, and the ever present problem of defending Jokic in the halfcourt. And then later, the guys discuss the mindset of the players heading into this game and how D'Angelo Russell's play looms large as a potential pivot point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers closed out their preseason with a loss to the Suns on Thursday night. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, the strong performances from LeBron and Anthony Davis in the 1st half, the challenges the team faced with their bench groups, and how much of a stepping stone this game really was for the regular season opener next week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Lakers head into their final preseason game on Thursday night, Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the team's attempt to balance building continuity with managing players' minutes this preseason, Jarred Vanderbillt's health, who the fifth starter should be, and the battle for minutes and the challenge of building out a rotation with as much talent as this team has. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers’ rotational players have been more dominant on offense than last year, while having significantly more length on defense than last season. The guys discuss the tall & skilled nature of the roster, how that helps unlock AD’s perimeter game, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves all sitting out, the Lakers got strong performances from D'Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent (among others) to take down the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Pete and Darius discuss the game, looking at the strong night from the guards, Taurean Prince making his case to start, Christian Wood's work on the backboards, the team's defensive performance, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With LeBron and Austin Reaves making their preseason debut, the Lakers beat the Nets on Monday night. Pete and Darius discuss the game, focusing on Taurean Prince getting the start, Austin and D'Angelo Russell's hot shooting, and Jaxson Hayes' making his mark. And then later, the guys discuss their first impressions of LeBron and AD continuing to look fantastic on both ends of the floor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices