Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers closed out their six-game road trip with a 124-117 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, and it took another herculean performance by star big man Anthony Davis to earn the victory.

Davis finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block to help Los Angeles snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 11-15. Lakers star LeBron James recorded a team-high 35 points.

In his last five games, Davis has crossed the 30-point mark four times. The only anomaly is when he was forced to exit last Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of an illness after playing just a single quarter.

NBA Twitter showed love to Davis after another impressive performance, as the 29-year-old is performing at a level that has many believing he's one of the best players in the league:

The Lakers have had trouble maintaining momentum this season, as the team's roster still has some holes. However, having Davis in the lineup at full strength gives Los Angeles a superstar who can be the best player on the court each time he steps on it.

Davis and the Lakers will look to keep the momentum going when they return to action on Tuesday at home against the Boston Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA at 21-6.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 133-122 in overtime on Friday night at Wells Fargo Center, dropping to 10-15 on the season.

Anthony Davis had a solid outing, finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 36 minutes. However, LeBron James, who returned from a one-game absence due to an ankle injury, struggled.

James finished with 23 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in 43 minutes. He made 9-of-22 shots from the floor and 1-of-8 shots from deep.

While James' performance was underwhelming, the entire team struggled to get anything going in overtime, scoring just two points in OT after Davis tied it at 120 with a free throw late in the fourth quarter.

Following the loss, James and the Lakers were ripped by NBA Twitter for their subpar late-game performance:

James has been dealing with an ankle injury since a Dec. 2 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He played the next two games before sitting out Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors because of the ailment.

If the Lakers are going to improve this season, it's going to have to start with James staying healthy, though that could be a tough ask at this point, especially considering he appeared in just 56 games last season due to a number of injuries.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is expected to return to the lineup for Friday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers following a one-game absence, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

James missed Wednesday's 126-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors with a left ankle injury.

James had been dealing with an ankle ailment since a Dec. 2 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He played the following two games—a win over the Washington Wizards and a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers—before sitting out Wednesday's game against Toronto, which was the second night of a back-to-back for the Purple and Gold.

James has been mostly healthy this season, though he missed a Nov. 7 matchup against the Utah Jazz with left foot soreness and missed five games from Nov. 11 through Nov. 22 with a lingering groin injury.

Any physical setback for the 37-year-old is somewhat concerning for the Lakers, especially considering he only appeared in 56 games during the 2021-22 campaign because of various ailments. With James and Anthony Davis limited by injuries last season, L.A. finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs.

In 17 games this season, James is averaging 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 33.1 percent from deep.

While the Lakers have shown signs of improvement over the last several weeks, they still sit 13th in the Western Conference with a 10-14 record. The health of James will be a significant factor in whether the team turns things around and makes a push for a playoff spot.

The Sixers, Friday's opponent, sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 12-12 record, as Doc Rivers' squad also hasn't lived up to expectations this year.

It was less than a year ago that the New York Knicks acquired forward Cam Reddish in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, but the team has reportedly been fielding offers to ship him away for quite some time.

"[S]everal teams have expressed interest in trading for Reddish since the Knicks acquired him in January 2022," SNY's Ian Begley wrote. "The Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams who reached out to New York in that span."

Reddish was removed from the Knicks rotation this week and hasn't played since last Saturday's 21-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks. New York has won back-to-back games since then and has a 12-13 record.

On Wednesday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported that the Knicks were working with Reddish and his representatives to secure a deal for him. However, the 23-year-old later said that he wasn't trying to force his way off the team.

"I haven't requested any trades," he said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "I have not. Y'all seem to know more than me, for real. I don't know what y'all talking about, but I haven't requested no trade, nothing like that."

Reddish has failed to make an impact since he entered the league as the No. 10 overall pick in 2019. The Duke product has a career average of 10.2 points on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. Still, he is young and he has the potential to develop into a contributor in the right situation.

The Bucks are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but they could use some extra firepower to compete against the defending conference-champion Boston Celtics. The Heat have been bitten by the injury bug early in the season and lack depth.

Begley noted that the Lakers and Knicks had engaged in discussions recently about a potential trade that would've required a third team to complete. Los Angeles has an open roster spot after waiving Matt Ryan and desperately needs to add shooting.

For now, Reddish will continue to ride the bench when the Knicks return to action on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets (7-18).

The Los Angeles Lakers were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis for Wednesday night's road matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

It went about as expected.

The shorthanded Lakers were blown out, 126-113, dropping them to 10-14 on the season.

Russell Westbrook struggled to carry the load without the superstar duo in action, coming off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field along with nine rebounds, three assists and five turnovers.

Dennis Schröder led the Lakers with 18 points. Fred VanVleet (25 points), Pascal Siakam (25 points) and O.G. Anunoby (23 points) paced the Raptors.

It was hardly a banner performance from Westbrook or his teammates, and NBA Twitter let them know about it.

The Lakers have largely stabilized after a 2-10 start, going 8-4 since, and Westbrook coming off the bench and playing well has been a catalyst for the change in form. Even with James and AD out, the Lakers didn't mess with that chemistry.

It's hard to go against a playoff-caliber team like the Raptors (13-12) on the road without your two best players, however. The Lakers getting smoked didn't exactly come as a huge surprise—the Raptors opened the contest on an 11-0 run, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

James, AD and veteran guard Patrick Beverley are all considered day-to-day going forward, so it's possible the Lakers won't be this undermanned when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Sixers on Friday night.

But one of the storylines surrounding this Lakers team is that the supporting cast isn't good enough. That was readily apparent on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers won't use their 2027 or 2029 unprotected first-round NBA draft pick in a trade unless they get an All-Star-level player in return.

That news is per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday's edition of NBA Today (0:49 mark).

The Lakers started the season 2-10 but have followed that with an 8-3 stretch.

Anthony Davis has been the catalyst for that run, as he posted 35.3 points, 15.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game in his previous nine games before Tuesday, when he played just eight minutes because of an illness.

He is averaging 27.3 points, an NBA-best 12.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game this season. And LeBron James hasn't slowed down in his 20th season, posting 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest.

If those two can stay healthy, the Lakers should be a playoff team in a wide-open Western Conference in which all but two teams (the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs) are within 5.5 games of each other.

The recent run has changed the team's outlook, and if it's still competitive at the Feb. 9 trade deadline, it could seek an All-Star talent in hopes of making a championship run.

For now, L.A. has a tough matchup Wednesday with the Toronto Raptors sans Davis (non-COVID-19 illness) and James (left ankle soreness). Their next chance to play will be Friday at the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without stars LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (illness) for Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Patrick Beverley (right knee soreness) is also out.

James has been bothered by an ankle injury since Friday, and while he has played in the past two games, he will sit out the second contest of a back-to-back. Davis, meanwhile, left Tuesday's 116-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with an illness after logging just eight minutes.

Having to play without James and Davis will be a huge blow to a Los Angeles squad that has won eight of its last 11 games.

In 17 games this season, James has averaged 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists despite battling injuries early this season.

Davis has stepped up in a major way during the four-time NBA champion's periodic absences, putting up MVP-caliber numbers that have allowed him to rejoin the conversation among the game's best players.

Davis has averaged 27.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in 21 appearances this season.

After an ugly start to the 2022-23 season, the Lakers sit at 10-13. While they still have some work to do to get back into the playoff picture, they had finally started to gain some momentum in recent weeks.

The Los Angeles Lakers may be getting MVP-level play out of center Anthony Davis and have four-time NBA champ LeBron James leading the way, but their future title aspirations rest not with those all-world players. Instead, it's in the front office's willingness to look at a team built for the here and now and do what is necessary to maximize its potential.

To do so, it must examine its draft equity and decide when it is time to move its coveted first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.

Unfortunately, that appears to be a non-starter, if Fox Sports' Ric Bucher's report proves accurate: "[A] source familiar with the front office’s thinking said any deal that would have to involve one of the team’s future first-round picks 'ain’t happening.'"

The foundational pieces are there in Los Angeles. James and Davis are two of the best players in the world, the latter being one of the most dominant when he can stay healthy and on the court.

But two players do not make the team.

Sure, there is Patrick Beverley. Mr. Playoffs himself, but he is averaging 4.2 points per game, shooting 27.1 percent from the floor and, according to the same report from Bucher, could be on the trade block, although Bucher added the return for him is "not likely to be significant."

Bucher pointed out that the refusal to trade picks could be related to the team's general manager, Rob Pelinka, looking toward the future and "the inevitable post-LeBron rebuild." That raises the question: What was the point of bringing James into the fold, and mortgaging the immediate future by acquiring Davis, if not to win now while you have the greatest player of his generation at your disposal?

It would appear the wisest choice would be to surround James with the talent necessary to win a few championships while you still have him for, at least, the next two or three seasons.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported on his The Lowe Post podcast that the Lakers have explored the potential of bringing DeMar DeRozan in, but they would need to part ways with the aforementioned picks to make a deal happen with Chicago.

Such a move would immediately improve the scoring issues facing the Lakers earlier in the season and give them a forward who can take the pressure off of James and Davis and win games on his own. It would also, according to Lowe, likely send Nikola Vučević to Los Angeles, where he could be more-than-capable relief behind Davis should injury strike or the big man simply needs a game off.

Both would be massive upgrades from what the Lakers have at their position currently and, assuming chemistry is not difficult to discover between all involved, would almost certainly make the Lakers a sudden favorite to emerge from the Western Conference.

Considering everyone from the players to the front office is in the business of winning and compiling titles, the idea of holding on to two draft picks some five years away in anticipation of your top star retiring or going elsewhere is in direct competition of that philosophy.

No matter how many times the team has struck gold and been able to acquire generational talent, the likelihood that James, a player and leader, walks through the door and can both keep it in title contention while recruiting players to come join him in the pursuit of greatness is low.

Regardless of how bumpy last season and the start to this one have been, it is still in the best interest of Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers organization to accumulate as many pieces as possible to take advantage of the rare foundation it has built before he becomes recognized forever as the front office suit that had James and did not make the necessary moves to win now and often with him.