Lakers
The Lakers are winning, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are rolling, and the injury report hasn’t changed much. They’ll gladly take two of those three.
Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr remain out for Tuesday’s home game against the Trail Blazers, per Ryan Ward of Lakers On SI. Thiero is dealing with swelling in his left knee, while Carr has a right oblique strain. Neither has played this season.
The Lakers have managed just fine without them, opening 3-0 behind a backcourt that’s already putting up some fairly ridiculous numbers.
Doncic is averaging 34.3 points, 8.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds after scoring 52 against the Jazz. Reaves has added 26.7 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 63.9% from the field and 61.5% on threes.
No, those Reaves shooting percentages probably aren’t staying there. But the Lakers certainly won’t ask him to cool off.
Both guards were nominated for Western Conference Player of the Week, with the award going to Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome. Next comes a matchup with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant and Portland, which should give the Lakers’ backcourt plenty to do at both ends.
Nets
The Nets made moves to become more competitive. Starting 0-3 wasn’t the intended result.
Still, there’s a difference between a disappointing first week and a season already headed nowhere, as Ivan White of Nets On SI writes.
Brooklyn followed close losses to the Hornets and Cavaliers with a blowout defeat against the Pacers on Sunday. That last one wasn’t pretty, but the Nets had pushed Cleveland to the finish the night before.
So there’s something to work with. Coach Jordi Fernandez’s challenge is getting that competitive version of the Nets to show up more consistently.
Nobody needs to start calculating play-in scenarios after three games. Brooklyn does, however, need to turn some encouraging stretches into actual wins. Otherwise, all that talk about progress gets tougher to sell.
Cavaliers
The Cavs need James Harden to organize the offense and settle things down when opponents apply pressure. Through his first two games, he’s contributed to some of the disorder himself.
Harden totaled 12 assists and 10 turnovers while shooting 6-of-20 from the field, as Mack Perry of Cavaliers On SI details. His averages of 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists look reasonably productive. The possessions Cleveland is losing along the way are the concern.
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There have been useful connections with Evan Mobley and Peyton Watson, and Harden still draws enough defensive attention to create opportunities for others. Nobody is suggesting he needs to stop passing.
But the Cavs have already lost one huge lead and nearly squandered another. They need cleaner possessions when things get tight, and that starts with the guy entrusted to run them.
Two games won’t define Harden’s season. They have, however, provided a pretty clear list of things to clean up.
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