Trae Young’s OT winner and what it means for LeBron and the Lakers

The recent loss to Atlanta (134-132 after overtime) was particularly disheartening because the Lakers clearly made an effort. They invested energy and appeared at least competent, a stark contrast to their performance in the two preceding games—the worst statistical totals in two consecutive nights in franchise history (109-80 in Minneapolis, 134-93 in Miami). With the bar set so low, it’s evident that the Lakers played a radically different game in Georgia. However, they still lost, marking seven defeats in nine games (12-11 overall) when including games marked by unacceptable attitudes (against the Nuggets, Wolves, Heat) and those where they competed but made critical mistakes against strong teams (Magic, Thunder, Hawks).

Trae Young clinches it with seconds left

The Lakers undoubtedly improved their play. They even had a notably good stretch, scoring 66-77 in the third quarter despite a 0-13 run. But in a frustrating ending, they couldn’t be competitive in the small things—avoiding crucial mistakes that decide tight games and negate any positive efforts. They committed stupid turnovers in decisive moments, had disjointed team defense without identity or specialists, and gave up a Trae Young three-pointer with seven seconds left due to poor team coordination. Gabe Vincent was completely lost during the defensive switch with Anthony Davis.

Earlier, the Lakers had possession with a slight advantage (131-132) but lost it due to a sloppy pass from Davis to LeBron James. James managed to recover and delivered one of his signature blocks to Dyson Daniels, known as the “chasedown block,” which also retrieved the ball for the Lakers. Perhaps a clean sideline throw could have sufficed.

The game ended in a jump ball between Daniels (2.01m) and Davis (2.08m). The Lakers failed to secure that possession as well. Numerous errors and minor breakdowns accumulated, leading to Trae making his three-pointer and then LeBron missing a buzzer-beater, leaving a bitter taste. It was a slap in the face for a team that genuinely put in a lot of energy and effort. They squandered a game that could have highlighted Davis (38 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) and LeBron (39 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 6/11 in three-pointers). However, the ten turnovers between the two overshadowed everything else—a sad reality for a team with no margin for error. They need to simply perform a bit better consistently, especially on days when they aim to put in a decent effort.

Sliding doors for Trae Young

A year ago, Young was a hot target for the Lakers according to rumors that never materialized. He became just another name in the media spotlight for a team determined to do nothing, making it difficult for them to negotiate with teams like the Hawks, who were likely more willing last winter. Now, the Hawks are improving and hold the first-round pick in the Lakers' next draft, so they probably have no incentive to help the Lakers improve.

The defense is a disaster, forcing the team to score a lot of points nonstop. Gabe Vincent (who is already rare) and Max Christie (starting to show up a bit) played decent minutes, adding physicality to a backcourt still missing Austin Reaves, who has missed four consecutive games after playing all 82 last season. Additionally, this season hasn’t seen the debut of Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood, with news about them rarely positive. Jaxson Hayes has been sidelined for days due to ankle issues. The Lakers, a recurring theme for too long, lack half a rotation. Whether it’s a structural issue or just bad luck, it’s impossible to see the full version of this team. It wouldn’t be a big deal, but perhaps it is something. At least until Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka decide on another excuse if they’re unable to move forward and the market doesn’t magically come to their rescue.

Trae Young ended the game with his decisive three-pointer, taking advantage of the rival’s poor defense. He had an exceptional performance: 31 points, 20 assists, and 5 three-pointers—totals no one else reached in the same game. His season has been fantastic as a playmaker and leader (still needs to refine his shooting) for a team that has six consecutive wins and seems like a serious project with a 13-11 record, fully capable of skipping the Eastern play-in this time. Dyson Daniels (a powerhouse: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals) is a perfect guard to cover Trae’s defensive weaknesses. The rotation has also included Zaccharie Risacher and the excellent Jalen Johnson as starting forwards, and Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter in a second unit that is performing well: the first scoring 20 points and 4 three-pointers, the second 26 points and 5 three-pointers; totaling 65-17 points from the bench.

The Lakers did many things right to win on a tough court against a team entering the game with a much better dynamic (though the game itself wasn’t difficult). The fact that they lost forces them to face the bad news: gaps in the rotation (due to injuries and inactivity) and improper mistakes at decisive moments. They performed well in many areas but failed when it mattered most, especially when they need to win and avoid losses, which aren’t always the same. If LeBron and Davis rest during games, things go wrong. But when they give their all (one near 40 points, the other dealing with plantar fasciitis), it doesn’t end well either. So it’s clear: this is the situation, no more and no less.

Original article written by Juanma Rubio, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Calum Roche.

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Atlanta Hawks

Stats

13 Bogdan Bogdanovic
4 Kobe Bufkin
15 Clint Capela
5 Dyson Daniels
12 De'Andre Hunter
1 Jalen Johnson
27 Vít Krejčí
24 Garrison Mathews
22 Larry Nance Jr.
17 Onyeka Okongwu
10 Zaccharie Risacher
8 David Roddy
11 Trae Young
0 Dominick Barlow
18 Mouhamed Gueye
3 Seth Lundy
2 Keaton Wallace

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
13 Bogdan Bogdanovic	29	20	6	0	6	1	3	0	0	2/3	3/4	4/9	0	3	0
4 Kobe Bufkin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
15 Clint Capela	23	4	4	4	0	2	0	0	2	0/0	2/4	0/0	0	1	0
5 Dyson Daniels	35	11	4	3	1	5	1	4	0	0/0	4/6	1/2	0	3	0
12 De'Andre Hunter	33	26	3	0	3	2	2	2	0	3/4	4/8	5/7	0	2	0
1 Jalen Johnson	34	12	10	0	10	7	6	1	0	3/4	3/4	1/4	0	4	0
27 Vít Krejčí	14	4	7	1	6	3	0	0	1	0/0	2/4	0/1	0	3	0
24 Garrison Mathews	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
22 Larry Nance Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
17 Onyeka Okongwu	29	15	6	3	3	0	1	0	1	1/3	7/10	0/1	0	6	0
10 Zaccharie Risacher	21	11	4	0	4	0	1	1	1	0/0	4/8	1/3	0	1	0
8 David Roddy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
11 Trae Young	42	31	4	0	4	20	3	2	0	8/8	4/12	5/13	0	1	0
0 Dominick Barlow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
18 Mouhamed Gueye	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
3 Seth Lundy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Keaton Wallace	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

12 Max Christie
3 Anthony Davis
28 Rui Hachimura
9 Bronny James Jr.
23 LeBron James
4 Dalton Knecht
10 Christian Koloko
20 Maxwell Lewis
5 Cam Reddish
1 D'Angelo Russell
94 Armel Traore
7 Gabe Vincent
41 Quincy Olivari

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
12 Max Christie	31	9	2	0	2	2	1	3	1	1/2	1/3	2/3	0	6	0
3 Anthony Davis	41	38	10	3	7	8	6	1	2	8/8	15/24	0/3	0	3	0
28 Rui Hachimura	40	12	9	2	7	1	0	2	2	0/0	3/4	2/2	0	2	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
23 LeBron James	43	39	10	0	10	11	4	2	3	5/6	8/14	6/11	0	3	0
4 Dalton Knecht	28	14	3	0	3	2	0	0	0	0/0	4/5	2/6	0	3	0
10 Christian Koloko	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
20 Maxwell Lewis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
5 Cam Reddish	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	1	0
1 D'Angelo Russell	20	8	3	1	2	3	2	0	0	0/0	1/5	2/4	0	1	0
94 Armel Traore	4	0	2	0	2	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/2	0/1	0	0	0
7 Gabe Vincent	34	12	1	0	1	5	0	2	1	0/0	3/7	2/4	0	5	0
41 Quincy Olivari	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0