Reaves (30 PTS), Luka Dončić (14 AST) Help Lakers Cruise to 125-109 Win Over Spurs

No LeBron James? No Rui Hachimura? An ice cold 5-20 shooting night from Luka Donćić? A Laker fan presented only with that information might think the Lakers were in trouble Monday at the Crypt against the visiting Spurs, especially when considering they played barely more than 24 hours before. Instead, it was another strong night for the purple and gold, who generally controlled play throughout en route to a 125-109 win. Austin Reaves led the way with 30 points on a crisp 12-21 shooting line. And he got plenty of support. Luka, despite the inefficiency with his shot, did dish out 14 dimes. Four more Lakers (Dorian Finney-Smith, Jordan Goodwin, Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent) finished in double figures. The Lakers played with a lot of energy—save the end of the third quarter—with good ball movement and active defense. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game was its cleanliness. The Lakers, particularly early, took excellent care of the ball, limiting the mistakes that could have fueled San Antonio's attack. Meanwhile, led by Luka's distribution, the Lakers piled up 34 assists. They played with a confidence that showed the four game losing streak was clearly a function of manpower. With (enough) players back in the lineup, the Lakers turned in excellent performances Sunday against the Suns and again on Monday to bury the Spurs. When the Lakers reach critical mass, so to speak, with enough bodies to field a credible roster and push their supporting players into appropriate spots the confidence with which each member of the rotation executes his role is palpable. It seems like everyone has a strong understanding of exactly what they're being asked to do, and (importantly) are not being asked to venture too far out of comfort zones. It's not going to work perfectly every night, and the West is again looking like a brutal death march down the stretch and into the postseason. The Lakers could play good basketball and still not venture as deep into the playoffs as everyone would like. But this town has seen enough successful seasons to know what a good team looks like, and this group clearly qualifies. The tests get tougher later this week with Milwaukee and Denver in town, but even without LeBron and Rui, the team that took the floor Monday feels like they can run with most teams night to night. And with James looking reasonably close to a return, another win or two would mean the Lakers get through his absence without losing significant ground in the standings. Given their recent schedule, that would be an extremely impressive result. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: A big game from Austin Reaves, LA wins again. SEGMENT 2: The Lakers get multiple contributions. SEGMENT 3: Playing with confidence. 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