The Lakers won their ninth straight game this Saturday, defeating the Magic 105-104 on a Luke Kennard three pointer with 0.6 seconds left. It was a spectacular finish, yes, but the real weight of the night goes far beyond a single shot: Los Angeles is now 46-25 and has put together its first nine game winning streak since the run between December 28, 2019 and January 11, 2020.
Why this Lakers run is about more than just winning
That changes how this moment should be read. It’s not just that the Lakers are winning, it’s how they are doing it. While Luka Doncic and LeBron James have carried most of the scoring load, the team’s ability to function on both offense and defense, and communicate effectively, is a real sign of form, consistency, and positioning heading into the final stretch of the season.
It also matters who closed the game. Kennard is not one of the three names that dominate the daily conversation around the team, and according to ESPN, he’s averaging just 8.0 points per game this season. That’s exactly why his shot says so much: the Lakers are not relying solely on LeBron or Luka to save every ending. When a role player wins a game like this, the internal message is stronger, it builds confidence across the group and makes everyone feel like a true part of the result.
For the Slovenian star, this run also confirms something that had already been building. NBA.com placed him at No. 2 in this week’s MVP Ladder, noting that his recent performances against strong teams have helped fuel the Lakers’ winning streak. The same report highlights another key detail: his defense has improved. In other words, Luka’s impact during this stretch hasn’t just been about scoring, it’s been about sustaining the team’s competitive level on both ends of the floor.
That’s where JJ Redick’s work is starting to truly show. Redick himself said that Luka is “playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now” and has done a fantastic job leading the group. When a coach gets a newly integrated star to perform at that level while also keeping veterans and role players connected, what emerges is not just talent it’s structure.
LeBron fits into that picture as well, even if he wasn’t the one who closed the game this time. He finished with 12 points and also set the record for most regular-season games in NBA history with 1,612. The fact that the Lakers are in this position while LeBron can share the load with Luka, Reaves, and even a rotation player like Kennard may be one of the biggest takeaways: the team doesn’t need a heroic performance every night to keep moving forward.
So what does this ninth straight win really mean? It means the Lakers have stopped looking like a dangerous team based only on names and have started to look dangerous because of how they function. Luka is playing at a superstar level, LeBron remains decisive without having to control everything, Redick appears to be building a clear identity, and the role players no longer feel like extras. That doesn’t guarantee anything in the playoffs, but it does change the conversation: it’s no longer just about whether Los Angeles can make the postseason, but how much damage it can do once it gets there.
And maybe that’s the most interesting part of all. On a night when many will focus on Kennard’s game winning shot, the most valuable takeaway for the Lakers might be something else: proving that even in a tight, messy game decided in the final possession, they still found a way to win. Winning streaks get attention. Streaks like this with different answers and different heroes start to say something serious about a team, and right now, the Lakers look like a team going all in.
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