The Lakers finally unleashed a dominant, wire-to-wire performance.
The Los Angeles Lakers needed a game like this.
After coming out of the All-Star break with three losses in four games and frustration building on both ends of the floor, the Lakers went into Chase Center on Saturday night and took care of the Golden State Warriors in dominant fashion, winning 129-101.
It was a wire-to-wire blowout that saw the Lakers build as much as a 32-point lead, and it was the performance that head coach JJ Redick had been waiting for since the break began.
Redick on Finding Consistency
Speaking to the media after the win, Redick made it clear that consistency has been the missing piece for his team over this stretch and that Saturday's win was a step in the right direction.
"Yeah, again, it goes back to just finding that consistent level of playing the right way on both ends, doing what you're supposed to be doing, executing at a high level," Redick said.
He pointed out that the Lakers had shown flashes of strong play in their previous four games since the break but never managed to carry it for a full 48 minutes. "You saw those trends.
We haven't had it for a sustained full stretch of a game, really. It's come in spurts in all four of our games that we've played prior to this."
Against the Warriors, though, it all came together.
"It was definitely our most complete game post All-Star break," Redick said.
Why the Lakers Looked Different
It was easy to see why Redick felt that way.
The Lakers set the tone early and never let up, shooting 46.3% from three-point range as a team and getting contributions from all over the roster.
Luka Doncic led the way with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds in just 29 minutes on his 27th birthday, while LeBron James added 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on an efficient 7-of-13 shooting night.
Luke Kennard chipped in 16 points off the bench and hit four three-pointers, and Jake LaRavia added 15 points of his own on 3-of-6 shooting from deep.
The defense was just as impressive, holding the Warriors to 101 points while forcing them into 27.3 percent shooting from three-point range.
A Golden State team that was playing without Stephen Curry simply had no answers for the Lakers' length and energy on that end of the floor.
What made the game stand out from their earlier post-break outings was the fact that the Lakers did not have any major letdowns.
Their losses to the Celtics (111-89), Magic (110-109) and Suns (113-110) all featured stretches where they either lost focus or fell apart in the final minutes. Against the Warriors, that never happened.
Key March Games Ahead
With the win, the Lakers improved to 35-24 on the season and sit sixth in the Western Conference.
The Warriors dropped to 31-29.
The Lakers now head into a crucial stretch of March that will go a long way in determining their playoff seeding.
They host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night before welcoming the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
Then comes a road trip to Denver on March 5, followed by home games against the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets before a two-game trip to Houston on March 16 and 18.
Those matchups against the Nuggets and Rockets will be especially important for a Lakers team trying to climb in the standings.
Doncic is averaging 32.6 points, 8.6 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, and James is putting up 22.0 points, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game in Year 23.
If Saturday's performance is any sign of what is to come, the Lakers could be headed for the kind of run they need to make some noise in the Western Conference.