There's one game left in the 2022-23 regular season, and the Los Angeles Lakers still don't know where they'll finish in the standings and whether they'll have to compete in the play-in tournament on Tuesday (they're guaranteed a No. 7 or No. 8 seed, at worst).

They also played far from their best basketball — for the third straight game — against the short-handed Phoenix Suns on Friday, escaping with a 121-107 win that went back and forth until the fourth quarter.

And yet, for as exhausted as the Lakers are (LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Darvin Ham all emphasized the need to rest in their postgame comments), Friday's win marked a cause for celebration, or, at least, gratitude. After starting 2-10 and surviving an awkward few months, the Lakers earned their 42nd win, thereby securing a winning campaign. They became the sixth team in NBA history to start 2-10 and finish above .500.

The Lakers improved to 17-8 since D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Mo Bamba joined the mix after the trade deadline. Beyond the increased versatility and improved locker room vibes, the revamped ensemble has bailed Los Angeles out on multiple occasions, including against the Suns, who were without Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton.

The Lakers — who have been overly reliant on LeBron and AD for two-plus seasons — overcame a combined 10-of-29 shooting performance from their two fulcrums.  Afterward, Davis said he personally thanked the Lakers' newcomers for enabling the improbable turnaround.

“The way we started, 0-5 … then 2-10 — who would've thought we would've finished the season above .500?” he said in the locker room. “We were joking with some of the other guys. Everybody was like, ‘Yeaahh!' We pointed to some guys and were like, ‘We thank y'all. It didn't look like we were going that way to start the season.' We just kept pushing and kept grinding. And obviously, the guys that were able to come in here and help us get some more wins and ultimately finish about .500.”

“I was just telling AD, I was like, ‘Man, can you believe that we're going to finish this season above .500? After everything that's gone on this season?'” said LeBron. “We've turned this thing around. And it's the regular season, obviously, there's a lot more basketball to be played. But to know that we're going to finish a few games above .500? It's pretty cool.”

Russell posted 24 points (9-of-14 FG), Austin Reaves had 22 (9-of-13 FG), and Beasley had 21 (7-of-14 FG). Vanderbilt, Troy Brown Jr., and Rui Hachimura made subtle contributions on both ends, as well.

“There's nobody that they can really key on,” LeBron said on the challenges of guarding the post-deadline Lakers, before specifically shouting out DLo, Beasley, and Reaves for their hot shooting.

“‘Bron struggled tonight,” added AD. “I struggled tonight shooting the ball. But we have a complete team … The depth on our team is really strong where Bron has 16, I have 14, and we're still able to get a win.”

Reaves, of course, was not a deadline pickup, but he's noticeably raised and changed his game since the All-Star break. He's become an aggressive scorer, a free-throw hunter, and a relentless shot-creator. Entering Friday, he had averaged 18.8 points over his previous 15 games and was No. 1 in the NBA for the season in layup percentage. On Friday, his energy and incessant attacking compensated for a gassed and banged-up LeBron and AD (plus Dennis Schroder's absence).

“It was no surprise for me,” LeBron said about Austin's contributions since he joined the Lakers as an undrafted free agent. LeBron said he crunched Reaves' collegiate tape and knew he had the IQ to hang in the pros.

Darvin Ham lit up when asked about Reaves. He lauded his evident “fearlessness” from pre-training camp scrimmages and even called him “one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached.”

 

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LeBron said his body needs “optimal rest” but he's on track to be “fine-tuned” for the playoffs. Even though he's “looking forward to having his day off tomorrow” before the season finale on Sunday vs. the Utah Jazz, he's planning on flying to Portland to watch Bronny play at the Hoops Summit.

“No rest for the weary,” he said.

As for how AD is feeling? “Like I need tomorrow off.”

LeBron — who will possibly need surgery on a torn right foot tendon this summer — expressed gratitude for his long-time personal trainer, Mike Mancias.

“There’s no way I’ll be playing 20 seasons without him. It’s literally that simple. There’s no way I’d still be able to play at this level that I’m playing I'm at without him. He's that essential to my game, to my performance, to my mental, to everything that I do.”

As LeBron and Davis cope with weariness and lingering foot injuries heading into the postseason, the Lakers will need to rely on their supporting pieces to carry the load. Fortunately, they now have the reinforcements to put up a fight against anybody.