Los Angeles

Lakers

James took a more measured approach on the offensive end on Monday, something he’s more frequently done in his 23rd NBA season. The four-time champion shot efficiently in his limited attempts, which was enough on this night to finish as the Lakers’ second-leading scorer. James tied a team-high in assists and also racked up a couple of steals to sweeten his final stat line. The Lakers will see the Rockets again on Wednesday, giving James a chance to land even more production in the rematch.

Uncharacteristically, Reaves’ defensive performance topped what he did on the offensive end on Monday. The fifth-year guard led all players in steals and added a blocked shot, tallying five stocks on the evening. On offense, he went without a made three-pointer for only the third time all season, which led to a poor shooting performance overall. Reaves had scored at least 30 points in the three previous games, so it shouldn’t be surprising if he were to bounce back with a strong offensive showing in Wednesday’s rematch against Houston.

Dončić’s run of dominant offensive performances continued on Monday, when he scored 30 points for the sixth consecutive game. The do-it-all guard made an impact from beyond the arc, but uncharacteristically didn’t have his usual rebounding and passing production to go with it. Still, his scoring output was welcome in a game in which both teams struggled to consistently put points on the board. Dončić has an opportunity to extend his streak of 30-point games to seven on Wednesday in a rematch against the Rockets.

Monday’s game against the Rockets will be the fourth that Kleber has missed with a lumbar strain, and he’s going to miss a few games beyond that. According to Lakers head coach JJ Redick, the veteran forward has been shut down for five days and did not travel with the team for the start of its six-game road trip. There’s hope that Kleber will be able to rejoin the Lakers during the trip, but his availability does not affect fantasy basketball.

In his last three appearances before Saturday, Smart totaled 24 points on 8-of-23 shooting from the field. Given the recent production and his season-long value, few expected Smart to have the night that he did. The veteran guard shot 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, a season-high for made three-pointers, while recording his third 20-point game of the season. Expecting Smart to do this consistently would be a bit much, but he’s capable of coming through for fantasy managers every so often.

Offensively, James took a back seat to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves on Saturday, as they combined to score 62 points. However, James provided solid value in his 40 minutes, with the five turnovers being the lone issue. The Lakers’ four-game Week 21 slate includes a midweek back-to-back, so LeBron may sit one out. If so, Rui Hachimura (six points, four rebounds) would have added value in deep leagues.

While Luka Dončić’s fadeaway with five-tenths of a second remaining in overtime was the deciding basket, he would not have been able to hit that shot if not for Reaves. The Lakers guard successfully pulled off the intentionally missed free throw, grabbing his own rebound and scoring with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. For the second time this season, Reaves has scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games.

Dončić’s fadeaway jumper from the left baseline with five-tenths of a second remaining in overtime gave the Lakers a critical win, as they clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Nuggets. The triple-double was his second in three games and eighth of the season. The percentages and turnovers, of which Dončić had six, weren’t great, but the overall stat line will be good enough for many fantasy managers. The Lakers play four games in Week 21, starting with the Rockets on Monday.

Hayes is set to return after missing the last two games with a back injury. He’ll slide back into the backup center role, taking minutes from Jarred Vanderbilt and Drew Timme behind Deandre Ayton.

Hayes has missed the Lakers’ last two games with a back injury, resulting in more minutes for starting center Deandre Ayton. Jarred Vanderbilt and Drew Timme spent some time on the floor as the backup center, but neither played enough to affect fantasy basketball.