<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-official-injury-diagnosis-spurs-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Austin Reaves gets official injury diagnosis after Spurs loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Austin-Reaves-15-brings-the-ball-up-the-court-during-the-second-quarter-against-the-Charlotte-Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>© Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ Austin Reaves gets official injury diagnosis after Spurs loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T16:57:27-08:00">December 12th, 4:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T17:53:17-08:00">December 12th, 5:53pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angles Lakers (17-7) boast arguably the best offensive trio in the NBA today, but injury concerns constantly swirl around Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James did not make <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-return-la-unchartered-territory-jj-redick">his season debut</a> until mid-November and Luka Doncic missed a handful of games, but now it is Austin Reaves who is due to spend some time on the sidelines. The standout guard suffered a mild left calf strain and <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999630436293824605" rel="noopener">will be reevaluated in a week</a>, according to NBA correspondent Marc Stein.</p><p>Reaves enjoyed a red-hot start to the 2025-26 campaign, posting 27.8 points, 6.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range. While it is disappointing to see the undrafted talent suffer a setback in the midst of a career year, this news is obviously tough for LA.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-fatal-flaw-on-full-display-in-ugly-nba-cup-loss-to-spurs">The Lakers have lost some of their momentum</a> after starting 15-4 and are struggling to handle their intensifying schedule. They have dropped three of their last five contests, including an NBA Cup quarterfinals clash with the San Antonio Spurs. The team will now begin a four-game road trip without one of its core players.</p><p>One has to wonder what James’ role will be during Reaves’ absence. Although the all-time great’s scoring numbers are down this season —  averaging 16.5 points through eight games — he has already showed the sports-watching world what he can accomplish after turning 40 years of age. James scored 24.4 points per contest last season, so who is to say he cannot ramp up his workload in this time of adversity?</p><p>Regardless of how the Lakers try to replace Austin Reaves’ production, they must stay focused and active on the floor. LA visits the Phoenix Suns (14-11) on Sunday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Austin Reaves gets official injury diagnosis after Spurs loss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/blue-ivy-beyonce-twin-lakers-courtside-game-jay-z');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blue Ivy is Beyoncé’s twin during Lakers courtside game with Jay-Z');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Blue-Ivy-is-Beyonces-twin-during-Lakers-courtside-game-with-Jay-Z.jpg"></figure><h1>Blue Ivy is Beyoncé’s twin during Lakers courtside game with Jay-Z</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T19:08:10-08:00">December 11th, 7:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T19:08:10-08:00">December 11th, 7:08pm</time><address><a>Autumn Hawkins</a>Autumn Hawkins is an Associate Entertainment Editor at ClutchPoints. She enjoys writing about music, lifestyle, film, and television. When she's not writing, she is trying the newest makeup trend, reading a romance novel, or planning her next trip. She is also a proud member of the BeyHive.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Blue Ivy made fans double-take during her Los Angeles Lakers game due to her striking resemblance to her mom, Beyoncé.</p><p>The 13-year-old sat alongside her father, rap icon Jay-Z, to watch the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-fatal-flaw-on-full-display-in-ugly-nba-cup-loss-to-spurs" rel="noopener">Lakers take on the San Antonio Spurs.</a> The game didn’t end well for the Lakers, with them falling 132-119 on their home court. But, Blue Ivy on the hand was serving looks in her oversized Balenciaga black leather jacket, baggy cargo jeans, and pair of burgundy Isabel Marant wedge sneakers, which Beyoncé <a href="https://x.com/beyonceaccess/status/1998975450664808869" rel="noopener">also wore back in 2011.</a> She accessorized with a silk press showing off her brown balayage, silver purse by Diesel, and black sunglasses.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Beyoncé really copied and pasted herself, because Blue Ivy stole her whole face. <a href="https://t.co/MsNbF08VcJ">pic.twitter.com/MsNbF08VcJ</a></p><p>— CELIA🐝 (@Damilola_Celia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Damilola_Celia/status/1999021852723695991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jay decided on an all-black look, which included a sweater, slacks, dress shoes, and he accessorized with a black hat.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSId5k6EuVP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2>Beyoncé named co-chair for 2026 Met Gala</h2><p>Beyoncé was absent for the family outing as were she and Jay’s twins Rumi and Sir. However, the Cowboy Carter creator had her own headlining news with the announcement of her being a co-chair for the 2026 Met Gala. Alongside Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Serena Williams will be co-chairs. This Beyoncé’s first Met Gala appearance in a decade, as Kidman and Williams have attended over the years including last year’s gala.</p><p>This year, the theme of the gala will be Costume Art, which is curated by Andrew Bolton. The <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/beyonce-nicole-kidman-venus-williams-anna-wintour-2026-met-gala" rel="noopener">theme </a>will “explore the relationship between clothing and the body beneath. The show—organized into a series of thematic body types, ranging from the Naked Body to the Pregnant Body and the Aging Body—will include garments and artworks from across The Met’s vast collection, and feature both historical and contemporary pieces from the Costume Institute,” according to Vogue.</p><p>Beyoncé, Kidman, and Williams aren’t the only star power behind the event as Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala Host Committee. There will also be additional members including Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, LISA, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson, and Yseult with more host committee members to be announced closer to the gala.</p><p>“I wanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form,” Bolton said in a press release. “Rather than prioritizing fashion’s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, ‘Costume Art’ privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear.”</p><p>The Met Gala will be held on May 4, 2026.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blue Ivy is Beyoncé’s twin during Lakers courtside game with Jay-Z

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-1-kings-trade-that-would-help-lakers-but-its-not-for-a-star');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: 1 Kings trade that would help Lakers, but it’s not for a star');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_0340.jpeg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: 1 Kings trade that would help Lakers, but it’s not for a star</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T15:59:07-08:00">December 11th, 3:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T16:01:05-08:00">December 11th, 4:01pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/nba-rumors-stop-all-your-lamelo-ball-to-kings-trade-jokes">Sacramento Kings will be in trade rumors</a> ahead of the deadline, there is no doubt that a bunch of players that other teams will be interested in. While the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-domantas-sabonis-camp-sends-clear-signal-trade-buzz"> trade buzz around the Kings continues</a>, the Los Angeles Lakers are a team that is seen to have some interest in one of the team’s players, though it isn’t a huge star that the basketball world might think about.</p><p>Players on Sacramento that people think about first are Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis, but the one that ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Seigel mentions is Keon Ellis, who is said to draw <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999215119033835591" rel="noopener">“significant interest”</a> around the league. He would mention the Lakers being involved in rumors for Ellis.</p><p>“One of the names that’s actually drawing significant interest right now because of his contract, he’s on the final year of his contract, only $2.3 million on the books,” Seigel said, via ClutchPoints’ show “Clutch Scoops” with Tomer Azarly. “That’s Keon Ellis, and there is significant interest around the league in him for both the Eastern and the Western Conference. There’s been rumors about the Lakers being interested.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Latest NBA intel with <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomerAzarly</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/BrettSiegelNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrettSiegelNBA</a> — Clutch Scoops 12/11/2025 <a href="https://t.co/zI3JODVWjE">https://t.co/zI3JODVWjE</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999215119033835591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>dwonnowdondw</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ellis.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-did-demar-derozan-hint-at-trade-desire-aint-my-decision-declaration">trade desires for Kings players</a> will ramp up ahead of the deadline down the line, Ellis is a versatile rotational player on both sides of the player that can fit on most teams. Seigel would speak on how the Lakers are a great fit in regards to on the court and his contract.</p><p>“I haven’t heard that, but it would not shock me if the Lakers were looking at a guy like that on the wing, because they do need another wing defender,” Seigel said. “And Keon Ellis kind of fits that timeline, being a younger guy, where they could bring him in pairing with Luka, extend them on a smaller term contract, like they did with Jared Vanderbilt, and they had hoped he would be that wing defender they could count on.”</p><p>At any rate, it remains to be seen if Ellis is traded by Sacramento and if Los Angeles will be the winner of the potential sweepstakes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: 1 Kings trade that would help Lakers, but it’s not for a star

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-rich-paul-blasts-claim-leveraged-lebron-james-clients-paid');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rich Paul blasts claim he leveraged Lakers’ LeBron James to get his clients paid');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lakers-LeBron-James-Rich-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rich Paul blasts claim he leveraged Lakers’ LeBron James to get his clients paid</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T13:57:13-08:00">December 11th, 1:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T13:57:13-08:00">December 11th, 1:57pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, took exception to the notion that his top client plays a role in helping his other clients get paid. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-weakness-la-fix-prove-rich-paul-wrong">Paul called out the Lakers for poor defense</a>, he continued to keep it 100 with Max Kellerman. The longtime NBA agent didn’t hold back in addressing the narratives surrounding his longstanding relationship with LeBron.</p><p>Paul adamently denied James influencing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxFp1_P69aA&amp;t=2086s" rel="noopener">deals for his other clients</a>, he said, per Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.</p><p>“No that’s false. That’s not true, but again, that’s fantasy agent,” Paul said. “But the fact of the matter was they were in a tax, they drafted him number four. If you ask Tyronn Lue who he wanted on the floor when you needed to win. When you have a big who you can switch one through five, and he may not necessarily stop a guy, but he makes it hard on the guy, that’s great.”</p><p>When Kellerman and Paul were discussing Tristan Thompson getting a 5-year, $82 million deal back in 2015 with the Cleveland Cavs, Paul said he was paid for being good at his role, and Kellerman pushed back.</p><p>“People would argue because LeBron James gave him leverage,” Kellerman said, to which, Paul replied, “But that’s b*******. And here’s why I call b******* on that. That’s a cop out and people want to say that to discredit me, first and foremost.”</p><p>When Kellerman suggested he’s giving Paul credit for securing Thompson’s aforementioned deal from a decade ago, Rich disagreed.</p><p>“No that’s false. That’s not true, but again that’s fantasy agent. But the fact of the matter was they were in a tax, they drafted him number four,” Paul said. “If you ask Tyronn Lue who he wanted on the floor when you needed to win. When you have a big who you can switch one through five, and he may not necessarily stop a guy, but he makes it hard on the guy, that’s great.</p><h2><b>Austin Reaves calls out “weakness” to prove Rich Paul wrong</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Rich-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Veteran guard Austin Reaves agreed with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-demarcus-cousins-weird-reaction-to-rich-paul-la-criticism-2">Rich Paul’s view on the Lakers’ biggest weakness</a> lies on the defensive end of the floor. Reaves discussed the Lakers’ <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1999005628636025067" rel="noopener">flaw</a> after Wednesday’s 132-119 NBA Cup quarterfinal loss, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><p>“That’s a weakness we got to get better at. The spirit is still high in here, we know we can do it … But we have to be a group that guards with five people,” Reaves told McMenamin.</p><p>The Spurs will face the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rich Paul blasts claim he leveraged Lakers’ LeBron James to get his clients paid

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-luka-doncic-quip-terrible-defense-nba-cup-loss-spurs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Luka Doncic makes quip about LA’s terrible defense after NBA Cup loss to Spurs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lakers-Luka-Doncic.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ Luka Doncic makes quip about LA’s terrible defense after NBA Cup loss to Spurs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T13:18:19-08:00">December 11th, 1:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T13:18:19-08:00">December 11th, 1:18pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-fatal-flaw-on-full-display-in-ugly-nba-cup-loss-to-spurs">Luka Doncic knows poor defense cost his team</a> the NBA Cup quarterfinals game against the San Antonio Spurs — he wasn’t afraid to admit it during his postgame media availability. The 132-119 loss to the Spurs sent a clear message as to where the Lakers’ biggest weakness lies 24 games into the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Doncic says it’s a hurdle for his team to cross, giving the Lakers “two weeks” to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6881281/2025/12/11/lakers-defense-trades-nba-cup-loss/?source=user_shared_article" rel="noopener">drastically improve their defense</a>, he said, per The Athletic’s Dan Wolke.</p><p>“We know in the NBA it’s 82 games. So, I would say we got time, but we need to figure it out pretty quickly,” Doncic said. “Our record is pretty good, 17-7, that’s pretty good to start. But I feel like we can be so much better.”</p><p>Forfeiting their chance to knock off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, whom the Lakers haven’t faced since LeBron James’ return, in the NBA Cup semifinals, Los Angeles surrendered its third loss in five games. The Lakers’ defense has given up 125+ points in each of those losses.</p><p>Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 35 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Marcus Smart added 26 points, including eight threes, and LeBron James added 19 points and three blocks.</p><h2><b>Austin Reaves agrees with Lakers’ biggest ‘weakness’ take</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lakers-Austin-Reaves.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Lakers guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-weakness-la-fix-prove-rich-paul-wrong">Austin Reaves agreed with Rich Paul’s assessment</a> that the team’s defense has become its biggest weakness. Paul, LeBron James’ agent, shared his take in a recent interview, and Reaves wasn’t afraid to say <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1999005628636025067" rel="noopener">he agreed</a>, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><p>“That’s a weakness we got to get better at. The spirit is still high in here, we know we can do it … But we have to be a group that guards with five people,” Reaves said after the Lakers’ NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the Spurs.</p><p>The Lakers will face the Suns on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Luka Doncic makes quip about LA’s terrible defense after NBA Cup loss to Spurs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/nba-rumors-herb-jones-is-most-popular-lakers-trade-target-but-theres-a-pelicans-problem');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Herb Jones is most popular Lakers trade target, but there’s a Pelicans problem');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Herbert-Jones-of-the-New-Orleans-Pelicans.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Herb Jones is most popular Lakers trade target, but there’s a Pelicans problem</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T13:03:13-08:00">December 11th, 1:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T13:03:13-08:00">December 11th, 1:03pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trade <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-espn-suggests-warriors-trade-draymond-green-jonathan-kuminga-for-anthony-davis-with-lakers-twist">chatter around the Los Angeles Lakers (17–7) continues to intensify</a>, but the team’s most frequently linked target may not be attainable. According to a Thursday report from The Athletic’s Dan Woike, New Orleans Pelicans wing Herbert Jones sits atop the Lakers’ internal wish list — yet league signals indicate the Pelicans have no interest in making him available.</p><p>Woike wrote that rival scouts and executives most often identify Jones as the Lakers’ preferred target. However, he noted two immediate barriers: Jones cannot be traded until Jan. 14 due to the three-year extension he signed in July, and New Orleans has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6881281/2025/12/11/lakers-defense-trades-nba-cup-loss/" rel="noopener">shown no willingness to discuss a deal</a>.</p><p>“While Lakers fans can fantasize about some all-out liquidation of the three-win Pelicans’ roster, team and league sources tell The Athletic that New Orleans is not interested in moving Jones,” Woike wrote. “And considering what LA would have to offer in a deal, expiring contracts and a single first-round pick, the Pelicans almost certainly wouldn’t engage at that price point.”</p><p>Jones, 27, earned All-Defensive First Team honors in 2024 and is widely regarded as one of the league’s best point-of-attack defenders. He is averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three across 17 appearances. Jones signed a three-year, $68 million extension in July, though that contract does not begin until the 2027–28 season. He is making $13.9 million this season on his current deal.</p><h2><b>Pelicans unwilling to move Herb Jones, limiting Lakers’ trade hopes</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Herbert-Jones-2-dribbles-against-San-Antonio-Spurs-forward-Keldon-Johnson-0.jpg"><figcaption>© Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Woike’s report also outlined skepticism around the Lakers’ draft capital, noting that their future first-round pick — likely in 2031 or 2032 — is not viewed as highly as it once was. The belief around the league, he wrote, is that owner Mark Walter’s track record with the Los Angeles Dodgers reduces the likelihood of a dramatic franchise downturn that would make such a pick significantly more valuable.</p><p>Even beyond Jones, the broader market for defensive-minded guards and wings remains thin. Woike mentioned Sacramento’s Keon Ellis as another example of a player valued enough that prying him loose would require meaningful assets — something the Lakers may not be positioned to offer.</p><p>The lack of available high-level defenders leaves Los Angeles relying on internal improvement. LeBron James continues to work back into rhythm after missing preseason and the season’s opening month, while Marcus Smart — the Lakers’ top individual defender — has already missed 10 games and has shared the floor with James only four times.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-weakness-la-fix-prove-rich-paul-wrong">Los Angeles begins a four-game road trip Sunday against the Phoenix Suns</a> (14–11) at 8 p.m. ET, following its <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-fatal-flaw-on-full-display-in-ugly-nba-cup-loss-to-spurs">NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs</a> on Thursday night. New Orleans, meanwhile, will attempt to halt a seven-game losing streak when it hosts the Portland Trail Blazers (9–15) on Thursday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Herb Jones is most popular Lakers trade target, but there’s a Pelicans problem

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-fatal-flaw-on-full-display-in-ugly-nba-cup-loss-to-spurs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ fatal flaw on full display in ugly NBA Cup loss to Spurs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Luka-Doncic-and-LeBron-James-react-after-a-foul.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ fatal flaw on full display in ugly NBA Cup loss to Spurs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T11:34:54-08:00">December 11th, 11:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T11:35:57-08:00">December 11th, 11:35am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers have mostly had a good season, currently sitting at 17-7, fourth in the Western Conference, and leading the Pacific Division. But shrouded within their solid start is the Lakers’ fatal flaw, which has been laid bare by their losses. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-weakness-la-fix-prove-rich-paul-wrong">Lakers’ defense struggled mightily</a> against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup, and it threatens to derail any championship aspirations.</p><p>Los Angeles <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING" rel="noopener">dropped to 21st in defense</a>, according to NBA advanced stats. Alarmingly, the team has allowed at least 12o points in four of their last five games. The Lakers have not had a good December so far, going 2-3 in five contests. On Wednesday, the Lakers could not stop the Spurs, which prevented them from mounting a comeback.</p><p>But this is not a new development. Notably, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and JJ Redick have all addressed it over the past few weeks. This issue dates back to last season, and the purple and gold have not fixed it, despite their best efforts.</p><h2><b>The Lakers’ offseason moves</b></h2><p>When the Lakers went into the offseason, the goal was to get a big man and a defender. At the time, they believed they had two. First, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-deandre-ayton-contract-free-agency-after-blazers-buyout">Lakers signed Deandre Ayton</a> to be their big man. Then, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-marcus-smart-intends-sign-la-wizards-buyout">Lakers snagged Marcus Smart</a> to be their defender off the bench. So far, Ayton has been solid, with a recent defensive rating of 115, which is decent but still not elite. Smart won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022. However, he is merely decent this season, instead of the elite defender he once was.</p><p>But the two moves did not correlate with the other players. Despite their best efforts, Reaves, James, and Luka Doncic have not provided much stellar defense. Often, when the Lakers fall behind early due to poor defense, they get frustrated and start turning the ball over. That has been an issue all season.</p><h2><b>Where the Lakers currently stand</b></h2><p>The Lakers currently have a defensive rating of 118 and have allowed 116.7 points per game. Although they are 10th in defensive rebound percentage, that has not mattered when they have allowed interior shots to go in. It’s mainly been an issue when they have played elite teams or above-average teams, who can make their shots from all over the floor.</p><p>A good example of this happened against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes, they are currently the best team in the NBA and are steamrolling many teams. But when the Lakers faced the Thunder, they were unable to contain them in the first quarter, leaving them in a major hole. This forced them to try shots they wouldn’t normally take, and it slowed them to a half, as the Thunder bolted past them.</p><h2><b>Can the Lakers fix this?</b></h2><p>This is a question many naysayers have. If you asked this currently, the answer would be no. The Lakers have gone 5-2 against teams with winning records this season, but there is still a lot of work to do. Reddick must attempt to work the right magic to fix the Lakers’ defense. Of course, the Lakers have an elite offense. But they need to counter with a solid defense on the days when James, Reaves, and Doncic struggle to hit shots.</p><p>But the real test will start when the Lakers start facing other explosive teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and even the New York Knicks. At some point, allowing 120 points and expecting to score 125 will not be an option. The Lakers must clamp down and defend better if they hope to contend for the NBA Championship this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ fatal flaw on full display in ugly NBA Cup loss to Spurs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-espn-suggests-warriors-trade-draymond-green-jonathan-kuminga-for-anthony-davis-with-lakers-twist');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: ESPN suggests Warriors trade Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga for Anthony Davis, with Lakers twist');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Austin-Reaves-defends-Anthony-Davis.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: ESPN suggests Warriors trade Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga for Anthony Davis, with Lakers twist</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T09:35:33-08:00">December 11th, 9:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T09:35:33-08:00">December 11th, 9:35am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/nba-rumors-espn-proposes-5-team-trade-anthony-davis-hawks-trae-young-kings-zach-lavine-to-mavericks-kristaps-porzingis-to-warriors">trade speculation intensified this week</a> after ESPN proposed a four-team hypothetical deal involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets — a scenario that would send Anthony Davis to Golden State while routing Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga to Dallas. The concept arrives as all four franchises navigate varying levels of urgency early in the 2025–26 season.</p><p>In the proposal, ESPN’s NBA insiders <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47262180/anthony-davis-trade-guide-five-deals-mavericks-warriors-spurs-pistons-hawks-raptors" rel="noopener">constructed a multiteam framework</a> designed to reshape each roster’s long-term direction.</p><p><i><b>Warriors get:</b></i><br>Anthony Davis<br>Mason Plumlee</p><p><i><b>Mavericks get:</b></i><br>Draymond Green<br>Jonathan Kuminga<br>2026 first-round pick (via Warriors)</p><p><i><b>Lakers get:</b></i><br>Buddy Hield</p><p><i><b>Hornets get:</b></i><br>Maxi Kleber<br>Dalton Knecht<br>Cash considerations (via Lakers)</p><p>They explained the rationale behind the hypothetical structure.</p><h2><b>ESPN’s hypothetical deal explores trade paths for the Warriors, Lakers, Mavs, and Hornets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Draymond-Green-confirms-Jonathan-Kuminga-s-stance-on-Golden-State-return.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“Should the Warriors break up the Green-Stephen Curry pairing for a shot at Davis? Probably not, but if they can’t figure out more consistency when healthy, it’s worth considering because of the massive offensive upgrade Davis would provide.</p><p>Although Golden State continues to play at a high level with Green on the court, he’s shooting 38% from the field, his lowest mark since his rookie season — worse even than 2019-20, when Curry played just five games during what became a gap year.</p><p>Davis would be the rim threat as a roll man the Warriors have long sought. They could also save money this season by structuring this as a multiteam deal, sending Hield to a third team. In this case, he goes to the rival Lakers to supply the shooting threat they need.</p><p>Meanwhile, Charlotte steps in to take on Kleber’s $11 million expiring contract in order to get Knecht after unsuccessfully attempting to acquire him in a rescinded deadline deal for Mark Williams.</p><p>For Dallas, making this deal would essentially be a bet against Golden State finding health and chemistry during the regular season, making the 2026 first-rounder a valuable pick to have. The Mavericks would also create financial flexibility via Kuminga’s team option for the 2026-27 season.”</p><p>Davis is averaging 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three across 10 appearances. Green is posting eight points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 blocks per game through six contests. Kuminga is averaging 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 17 games. Hield is contributing eight points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 25 games.</p><p>All four teams will continue their regular-season schedule as speculation circulates. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-weakness-la-fix-prove-rich-paul-wrong">Lakers (17–7) prepare for Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns</a> (14–11) at 8 p.m. ET after their NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-stephen-curry-injury-update-timberwolves-clash">Warriors (13–12) will face the Minnesota Timberwolves</a> (15–9) on Friday at 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV in their first meeting since last season’s second-round series. Dallas (9–16) hosts the Brooklyn Nets (6–17) on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET, while the Hornets meet the Chicago Bulls (9–14) at 7 p.m. ET.</p><p>ESPN’s proposal remains entirely theoretical, but it adds another layer to the league’s early-season trade discourse as front offices evaluate potential pathways ahead of the deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: ESPN suggests Warriors trade Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga for Anthony Davis, with Lakers twist

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-weakness-la-fix-prove-rich-paul-wrong');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Austin Reaves calls out ‘weakness’ that LA must fix to prove Rich Paul wrong');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Austin-Reaves-goes-for-a-shot-against-the-Spurs.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ Austin Reaves calls out ‘weakness’ that LA must fix to prove Rich Paul wrong</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T08:40:10-08:00">December 11th, 8:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T08:50:22-08:00">December 11th, 8:50am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There were some questions at Crypto after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-rues-la-flaws-nba-cup-loss-spurs">Los Angeles Lakers stumbled against the San Antonio Spurs,</a> losing in the NBA Cup Quarterfinal. Now, the Lakers’ Austin Reaves <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1999005628636025067" rel="noopener">addressed comments</a> by Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent, about the team’s defensive weakness, according to a post by NBA reporter Dave McMenamin.</p><p>“That’s a weakness we got to get better at. The spirit is still high in here, we know we can do it … But we have to be a group that guards with five people,” Reaves told McMenamin.</p><p>Reaves was addressing the perimeter weakness the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/jj-redick-sees-similarities-in-how-suns-spurs-guarded-lakers-in-recent-losses" rel="noopener">Spurs consistently exposed</a>, enabling them to ride high to a 132-119 victory on Wednesday. Stephon Castle benefitted from this, leading the Spurs with 30 points on 10 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 6 from the triples. Likewise, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-deaaron-fox-incredible-bucket-lakers-austin-reaves">De’Aaron Fox was solid,</a> scoring 20 points while shooting 8 of 17 from the floor. Harrison Barnes added 16 points, while Keldon Johnson led the bench with 17 points, and Julian Champagnie had 16.</p><p>The Spurs shot 50% from the floor, including 44.7% from beyond the arc. Additionally, they won the board battle 50-43, which enabled them to get more opportunities. What made this victory more impressive was the fact that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-miss-lakers-game-calf-injury">Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama</a>.</p><p>The Lakers are still 17-7 and fourth in the Western Conference. However, their seven losses this season have exposed what happens when their defense crumbles, and their offense cannot compensate. Alarmingly, they have allowed at least 120 points in four of the five December games. It’s not surprising that the Lakers are 2-3 in those games.</p><p>Many of their recent wins, including wins over lower-tier teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers, have seen them simply outscore teams. But their losses to elite teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder showcased that the Lakers still have work to do on fixing a defense that is allowing 115.9 points per game, which is 14th in the NBA. The Lakers’ next chance to bounce back comes Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Austin Reaves calls out ‘weakness’ that LA must fix to prove Rich Paul wrong

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/jj-redick-sees-similarities-in-how-suns-spurs-guarded-lakers-in-recent-losses');   ga('set', 'title', 'JJ Redick sees similarities in how Suns, Spurs guarded Lakers in recent losses');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lakers-star-Austin-Reaves-being-guarded-by-Harrison-Barnes.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>JJ Redick sees similarities in how Suns, Spurs guarded Lakers in recent losses</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T08:11:26-08:00">December 11th, 8:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T08:50:51-08:00">December 11th, 8:50am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Are teams starting to figure out the Los Angeles Lakers? LA has had an excellent season so far, but they’ve shown some weaknesses in their armor. They’ve lost three of their last five games, including losses to the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, and, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-rues-la-flaws-nba-cup-loss-spurs">most recently, the San Antonio Spurs.</a> It’s been<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-refuses-talk-la-playoff-hopes-december"> a rough week for LA,</a> which has fallen to fourth place in the Western Conference.</p><p>Interestingly, it seems like a few teams have found a potential blueprint for guarding the Lakers. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been an insane one-two punch for LA this season. Their opponents have seemingly keyed in on the duo’s tendencies and where they can be exploited. Head coach JJ Redick pointed out the strategy that both the Suns and Spurs <a href="https://x.com/LakersReporter/status/1998988804322132122" rel="noopener">employed against them.</a></p><p>“JJ Redick pointed out that the Spurs played a similar defense to what the Suns showed last week, keeping a big (Kornet) at the rim in a deep drop as the Suns did (Williams), not putting two on the ball, encouraging the non-deep-paint contested twos to Dončić/Reaves,” Mike Trudell reported.</p><p>Doncic still had an excellent game, scoring 35 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out eight assists in their 132-119 loss to the Spurs. Reaves, on the other hand, had a relatively quiet outing. The Lakers guard scored only 15 points on 6-16 shooting. Reaves did contribute in other areas (eight rebounds, seven assists, and a block), but both he and Doncic battled foul trouble during the game.</p><p>The loss to the Spurs knocked the Lakers out of the NBA Cup, bowing out in the quarterfinals. Even without Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio made relatively easy work of LA. Stephon Castle led the way with 30 points for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox added 20 points to guide them to victory.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

JJ Redick sees similarities in how Suns, Spurs guarded Lakers in recent losses

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-marcus-smart-turns-into-stephen-curry-with-barrage-of-3s-vs-spurs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Marcus Smart turns into Stephen Curry with barrage of 3s vs. Spurs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lakers-point-guard-Marcus-Smart.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ Marcus Smart turns into Stephen Curry with barrage of 3s vs. Spurs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T06:21:05-08:00">December 11th, 6:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T08:50:33-08:00">December 11th, 8:50am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Occasionally, a random role player will suddenly pop off and have the game of a lifetime. Marcus Smart<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-marcus-smart-update-back-injury"> had missed the last six games for the Los Angeles Lakers</a> before their matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. Signed this offseason, Smart had provided good defense, but shooting had never been his strong suit.</p><p>Even before his time with the Lakers, though, Smart was always good for one insane shooting night. The Lakers got a taste of the good Marcus Smart experience in their game against the Spurs. The former DPOY had himself an insane shooting night, making eight three pointers as Los Angeles attempted a comeback against San Antonio.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SMART CAN’T MISS!</p><p>Marcus Smart DRILLS his 8th three of the game 🎯</p><p><a href="https://t.co/V7IUN8g1DS">pic.twitter.com/V7IUN8g1DS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1998989689672675805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Smart made seven of his eight triples in the second half, when the Lakers tried to rally from a 24-point comeback. Prior to the game, the bulldog point guard only shot 25% from three-point range. In this game, Smart shot 57% from three, finishing the game with 26 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block off the bench.</p><p>Unfortunately, Smart and Luka Doncic’s (35 points, eight assists, five rebounds) efforts were not enough. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-rues-la-flaws-nba-cup-loss-spurs">Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs upset the Lakers</a> behind 30 points and ten boards from Stephon Castle and 20 points from De’Aaron Fox. With that loss, the Lakers have been eliminated from the NBA Cup. LeBron James added 19 points and 15 rebounds, but the Lakers’ bench outside of Smart was non-existent. In contrast, the Spurs got 17 and 16 points from Keldon Johnson and Justin Champagnie off the bench, respectively.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Marcus Smart turns into Stephen Curry with barrage of 3s vs. Spurs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-refuses-talk-la-playoff-hopes-december');   ga('set', 'title', 'LeBron James refuses to talk about Lakers’ playoff hopes in December');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/LeBron-James-refuses-to-talk-about-LAs-playoff-hopes-in-December.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>LeBron James refuses to talk about Lakers’ playoff hopes in December</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-10T22:58:02-08:00">December 10th, 10:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T08:50:58-08:00">December 11th, 8:50am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers fell short in their bid to reclaim the NBA Cup title after they got eliminated in the quarterfinals by the San Antonio Spurs, 132-119, on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-deaaron-fox-incredible-bucket-lakers-austin-reaves">The Spurs staved off every rally of the Lakers</a>, who went down by as much as 24 points. The Purple and Gold cut the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter, but San Antonio managed to pull away.</p><p>With the loss, the Lakers dropped to 17-6, including 7-3 at home.</p><p>In the locker room after the game, James was asked about their outlook for the playoffs. The 40-year-old forward, however, <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999001668525129752" rel="noopener">sidestepped the question</a>.</p><p>“It’s December, right? We’re talking about the playoffs? It’s not okay. It’s not my mindset. I can’t think about what we can do in the playoffs in December,” said James in a video shared by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><p>“Talking about what type of damage we can do in the postseason in December, that’s not right for the basketball gods.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Talking about what type of damage we can do in the postseason in December, that’s not right for the Basketball Gods.”</p><p>– LeBron James 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mcten</a>)<br> <a href="https://t.co/8NVNgWklHg">pic.twitter.com/8NVNgWklHg</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999001668525129752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>If there’s one player who knows that it’s too early to discuss the playoffs, it’s a 23-year veteran. James has seen everything in the NBA, and he understands the value of not looking ahead too much, especially when it isn’t even the halfway of the season.</p><p>He, however, noted that the habits that they have built in the offseason can help them earn a ticket to the playoffs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-rues-la-flaws-nba-cup-loss-spurs">Lakers coach JJ Redick stressed anew that they can’t afford</a> to keep making the same mistakes.</p><p>James had 19 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks against the Spurs. He also had a huge dunk over Luke Kornet in the second quarter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Los Angeles
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Lakers News: Get the latest Los Angeles Lakers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Lakers News

Lakers’ Austin Reaves gets official injury diagnosis after Spurs loss

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• NBA rumors: ESPN suggests Warriors trade Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga for Anthony Davis, with Lakers twist

• Lakers’ Austin Reaves calls out ‘weakness’ that LA must fix to prove Rich Paul wrong

• JJ Redick sees similarities in how Suns, Spurs guarded Lakers in recent losses

• Lakers’ Marcus Smart turns into Stephen Curry with barrage of 3s vs. Spurs

• LeBron James refuses to talk about Lakers’ playoff hopes in December

Los AngelesLakers NEWS

Lakers News: Get the latest Los Angeles Lakers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Lakers News

Lakers’ Austin Reaves gets official injury diagnosis after Spurs loss

Blue Ivy is Beyoncé’s twin during Lakers courtside game with Jay-Z

NBA rumors: 1 Kings trade that would help Lakers, but it’s not for a star

Rich Paul blasts claim he leveraged Lakers’ LeBron James to get his clients paid

Lakers’ Luka Doncic makes quip about LA’s terrible defense after NBA Cup loss to Spurs

NBA rumors: Herb Jones is most popular Lakers trade target, but there’s a Pelicans problem

Lakers’ fatal flaw on full display in ugly NBA Cup loss to Spurs

• NBA rumors: ESPN suggests Warriors trade Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga for Anthony Davis, with Lakers twist

• Lakers’ Austin Reaves calls out ‘weakness’ that LA must fix to prove Rich Paul wrong

• JJ Redick sees similarities in how Suns, Spurs guarded Lakers in recent losses

• Lakers’ Marcus Smart turns into Stephen Curry with barrage of 3s vs. Spurs

• LeBron James refuses to talk about Lakers’ playoff hopes in December

Los Angeles
Lakers NEWS