The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in another tight game at the end, this time against the Phoenix Suns. They lost their matchup earlier in the week against the Orlando Magic after a botched final play between Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Against the Suns, they had a chance to take the win again with the final possession, but Austin Reaves was not able to cash it in.
The Lakers have now lost five of their last seven games, and they're looking to get back on track during the second half of the season. After the game, Doncic spoke about what the team needed to do to get into the win column again.
“Just go game-by-game, try to win every game. Obviously, we didn’t start good [out of the All-Star break], but nothing is over. We just got to keep bringing the mindset of trying to win every game,” Doncic said.
“Just go game-by-game, try to win every game. Obviously we didn’t start good [out of the All-Star break], but nothing is over. We just got to keep bringing the mindset of trying to win every game” – Luka Doncic on what the Lakers, losers of 5 out of 7, must do to get on track pic.twitter.com/Bjbd9nJutO
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 27, 2026
Head coach JJ Redick offered another perspective on the recent losses, and he knows the spotlight is weighing heavily on them just because of who they are.
“Our losses are louder than other teams. Because we’re the Lakers — and how we lose,” Redick said via Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register.
The Lakers have been healthy over this stretch as well, which probably makes things more frustrating for them. The past two losses are not something to be overly concerned about since they've come down to the final possession, but those are games they definitely want to win.
The Lakers are now 34-24 and are sixth in the Western Conference standings, and there's a chance they could fall into the Play-In. There's still enough time in the season for them to tighten up and start stringing together some wins so they can get a comfortable spot in the top six.
