This season was his 'last chance.' Can Lakers' Deandre Ayton deliver in the playoffs? How influential will Deandre Ayton be in these playoffs? is a question a lot of people are asking Lakers coach JJ Redick.

Game 2? Same task for Deandre Ayton.

The X factor of the Lakers season is trying to show consistency when the team needs it most. This week's @latimes.com Lakers newsletter:
www.latimes.com/sports/newsl...

Same Lakers injury report for Game 2: just Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out. Kevin Durant (knee) is questionable for the Rockets.

Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic both in the building for Lakers practice. Doncic mostly rebounded and passed the ball in drills, JJ Redick said, but it was good to have the whole team back together.

Plaschke: Can Lakers steal series? Anything is possible after Game 1 win The Lakers were connected, apparently having had time to adjust to the loss of their two leading scorers, while the Rockets looked confused.

Maybe one game over the Kevin Durant-less Rockets means nothing. Maybe it means everything? From @latimes.com's Bill Plaschke www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Shorthanded Lakers knock off Durant-less Rockets in playoff opener LeBron James is two rebounds short of a triple-double and Luke Kennard has a career playoff-high 27 points in the best-of-seven series opener.

The Lakers don't have Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves now. But they have LeBron James and a lot of resiliency. @latimes.com's Brad Turner on Game 1: www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Luke Kennard provides a jolt of Luka magic, helping the Lakers beat the Rockets The injury-ravaged Lakers were expected to wilt in the playoffs, but Luke Kennard delivered a blistering shooting show during a win over Houston.

“My word is speechless, to be honest."

Luke? Or Luka?? Luke Kennard does his best to fill in for Luka Doncic as the Lakers take Game 1 www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Ime Udoka said Kevin Durant is out tonight. He bumped knees at practice recently and "didn't feel good enough" to play tonight. Rockets hope it's a one-game absence.

Crypto.com Arena is ready for the playoffs.

Only Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic are out for the Lakers in Game 1 tomorrow

Commentary: Can LeBron James pull off his second-greatest playoff feat? If he carries the injury-riddled Lakers past the heavily favored Rockets, the team's last standing star will again stamp his label as the G.O.A.T.

He's done basically everything in basketball. But can LeBron, at 41, really pull this off? @latimes.com's @mirjamswanson.bsky.social on whether LeBron James can will these shorthanded Lakers through the first round www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

'He knows the most': How LeBron James sets the tone for Lakers entering playoffs Playing in his record-tying 19th postseason, James will be the leading man against the Rockets after injuries to guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

No Luka, no AR, but there's still LeBron. On the 41-year-old's preparation for the playoffs stage: www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Luka Doncic eligible for NBA's postseason awards after league, NBAPA rules in his favor Luka Doncic, a leading candidate for MVP and a lock for his sixth All-NBA team, played in only 64 games this season. The NBA typically requires 65 games played to be eligible.

Luka Doncic is back on the NBA awards ballot with a successful appeal. The NBA and NBPA announced Doncic and Cade Cunningham will both be eligible for postseason awards:
www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Q&A: After LA28's first Olympics ticket drop, what's next and where are those $28 tickets? The Times asked readers for their burning questions regarding the Olympics, and it’s the ticketing process that’s bringing the most heat.

What do you want to know about the Olympics? A mailbag with @latimes.com readers' pressing LA28 questions www.latimes.com/sports/story...

Lakers prepare for Rockets playoff series with emphasis on rebounding Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined indefintely, coach JJ Redick says "taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That's the series."

Lakers' first-round to-do list:
🔘 Take care of the ball
🔘 Box out

@latimes.com's Brad Turner on how the Lakers are approaching the series against the Rockets
www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

'Mr. 82.' How Jake LaRavia became the injury-plagued Lakers' iron man Jake LaRavia of the Lakers is one of only 18 players this season to appear in every regular season game.

Injuries plagued the Lakers all year. But not Jake LaRavia. With luck, an iron will and a new weight training regimen, he joined an elite club of players who appeared in all 82 regular-season games this year www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Lakers sign Nick Smith Jr. to a standard contract ahead of the playoffs.

'He does so many more things.' How Luke Kennard became the Lakers' emergency point guard Beyond being the league's leading three-point shooter, Luke Kennard has 31 assists in the last four games, stepping up his ball-handling responsibilities for the Lakers.

“He’s just a ball player."

"Shooter"? Lakers have Luke Kennard tapping into his high school point guard days www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

"He really set the tone for the team.”

Desperate for any sort of positivity, the Lakers followed LeBron James' lead to a win at Golden State.
www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Another change to the Lakers game day experience: a second row of courtside seats for the playoffs

Marcus Smart is questionable for tomorrow against Golden State. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Jaxson Hayes are out. LeBron James is off the injury report.

With their Big 3 sidelined, Lakers lose in another blowout to Thunder With LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out with injuries, the Lakers lose in a 123-87 blowout to the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.

“We’ve got to find nine guys that are, like, all-in on us fighting."

In these desperate times, JJ Redick is still using blowout losses to evaluate the Lakers playoff rotation. www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Lakers' LeBron James will not play tonight against the Thunder Left foot injury will cause him to miss the game against league-leading Oklahoma City along with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart.

The Lakers will have one starter left from their normal top five tonight against the Thunder as LeBron James has been ruled out with a left foot injury. www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Inside Luka Doncic's high-stakes medical treatment and recovery plan Luka Doncic is receiving medical treatment in Europe to repair a strained hamstring with the hope of returning to the Lakers before the playoffs start.

Why do athletes go to Europe for specialized treatment for injuries?

This week's @latimes.com Lakers newsletter on Luka, super serums and the end of the regular season
www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Marcus Smart will miss his eighth consecutive game tomorrow and LeBron James is questionable against Oklahoma City. Luka and Austin out.

UCLA crushes South Carolina to win NCAA women's basketball national championship Behind standout efforts from Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez, the UCLA women's basketball team defeats South Carolina 79-51 for its first national title since 1978.

UCLA crushes South Carolina to win NCAA women's basketball national championship

Lakers officially without Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart tomorrow. Jarred Vanderbilt (calf soreness) questionable.

Smart will miss his seventh straight game.

Lakers' Austin Reaves out for rest of regular season with oblique strain With Luka Doncic also sidelined the rest of the regular season, and possible more, the Lakers will be without their starting backcourt. Marcus Smart questionable for Sunday.

The hits just keep coming for the Lakers. One day after Luka Doncic was ruled out for the rest of the regular season, Austin Reaves was diagnosed with a grade 2 oblique strain. From @latimes.com's Brad Turner www.latimes.com/sports/laker...

Lakers announce Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the regular season with a Grade 2 left oblique strain.

Lakers update: Luka Dončić has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season.

Luka Doncic's hamstring injury will test Lakers' depth on eve of NBA playoffs How will Luka Doncic's injury impact the Lakers over the remainder of the regular season? There's only five games left before the NBA playoffs, and the team's depth will be put to the test.

They were playing their best basketball at the right time. Then Luka Doncic pulled up and grabbed at his hamstring.

How the rest of the regular season could look as the Lakers wait for word on Luka's injury www.latimes.com/sports/laker...