PORTLAND, Ore. — The situation the Lakers faced in their 123-115 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night was far from ideal. But it also wasn’t new or unfamiliar, which has helped the Lakers thrive in the early parts of 2025-26 despite the circumstances they’ve faced in the first couple of weeks of the season.
Concluding a home-road back-to-back set, the Lakers didn’t arrive at their hotel in Portland until about 3 a.m. on Monday after Sunday night’s home win over the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena. About 10 hours later, it was revealed that star guards Luka Doncic (left lower leg contusion injury management) and Austin Reaves (right groin soreness) wouldn’t be available. They received positive news when it was announced that starting center Deandre Ayton would be available despite dealing with back spasms, but the Lakers were still left with just eight players signed to standard NBA contracts – and their three players signed to two-way deals – against a stingy, young Blazers team that beat them in a similar situation exactly a week ago.
But in what has become an early-season theme for the Lakers, multiple players stepped up en route to a victory despite the team being short-handed.
“You learn about the heart of the team,” veteran guard Marcus Smart said. “We could have easily [come] in here and quit, and allow what happened to us last time when we played this team. We decided we didn’t want to do that. This team showed a lot of heart. That resilience that I’ve been talking about is starting to grow even more.”
Ayton’s season-high 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting to go with 10 rebounds for his third double-double in his last five games led the Lakers. Rui Hachimura (28 points on 10-of-15 shooting) also had his highest-scoring game of the season.
The scoring explosion and late-game heroics from two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. (25 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with six assists) gave the Lakers the extra lift they needed for their fourth consecutive victory.
But what happened Monday went beyond the box score and the specific players who stepped up. It was the latest example of the Lakers playing to their standard despite being without multiple key players.
“You can’t win in the NBA without stepping on the floor and expecting to win,” Coach JJ Redick said. “Our guys had that from the start.”
The Lakers (6-2) are now 3-1 in games without Doncic, the 26-year-old Slovenian star who’s had an explosive start to the season, averaging a league-high 41.3 points to go with 11.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists in four games. The first two victories without Doncic came in light of the individual offensive brilliance from Reaves (averages of 31.1 points, 9.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds), but the Lakers didn’t have him Monday, either.
And the Lakers’ strong start has happened despite LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, having yet to play a game in his 23rd NBA season.
Multiple players have praised Redick and the coaching staff for establishing the messaging, communication and clear expectations on an individual and team level when it comes to roles and the effort levels necessary to compete – and win – in the modern NBA.
To Ayton, the Lakers’ ability to win despite some high-profile absences started with the tone Redick set during the preseason – a period when the team didn’t have James fully available, and Doncic’s availability changed multiple times.
“It all started in training camp, really just going as hard as we can,” Ayton said. “JJ not giving a crap who’s out there. He wants to play Laker basketball. Just being coachable and doing what we’re told. JJ has been in this game for a while, he’s won [in] this game for a while. Anything he says, we can trust it, and he’s proven that point a few times. It’s become a thing in our routine just to approach the game the right way, with some professionalism. And it’s starting to spread, as you can see the guys deep in the bench, coming up, showing up, getting 25 points. That’s really legit. That’s big time to be honest.”
And to Redick, the Lakers’ early-season success is a reflection of the buy-in he and his staff have received from the players.
“I’ve told the team this a number of times throughout the preseason and early in this season: The best teams are always gonna be player-led,” Redick said. “And so those guys holding each other to that. That’s why I say those huddles, the communication on the court, all those small interactions, they’re really valuable. And the guys are holding each other accountable to that.
“As a coaching staff, you have to get buy-in to that. Our guys are bought in. You can’t win in this league unless you play hard. It’s just impossible now. And these guys have just been awesome for the last seven games.”
SPURS AT LAKERS
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet/710 AM