What a week it’s been for the Los Angeles Lakers and their star guard Luka Doncic! The Lakers have officially clinched a playoff berth and the Pacific Division title, notching their 50th win of the season with a convincing 127-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. This achievement marks back-to-back 50-win seasons for the franchise—a feat they haven’t pulled off since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns. For Lakers fans, it’s a throwback to the glory days, but with a distinctly modern twist.
The clinching moment came even before tip-off, thanks to the Phoenix Suns’ 115-111 loss to the Orlando Magic. With the division title already in hand, the Lakers took the floor at Crypto.com Arena with a sense of purpose, riding a four-game winning streak and boasting a 17-5 record since the All-Star break. Their recent run has included a scorching nine-game win streak and has solidified their hold on the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed.
“I don’t even remember this time last year, it was such a blur,” said LeBron James, reflecting on the team’s journey. “It was like three different seasons in one. I mean, there was just so much change over last year. So it’s hard for me to think about last year, I don’t even know where I was at that point, or where we were. We did have some — there’s a lot of change over.”
Change is exactly what’s defined this Lakers squad. Last year, despite an eight-game post-All-Star winning streak and home-court advantage in the playoffs, the Lakers fizzled out quickly, bowing out in the quarterfinals after just one playoff win. This time, the vibe is different. The Lakers’ performance metrics have taken a leap: they now rank No. 6 in offensive efficiency and No. 11 in defensive efficiency since the break, a significant improvement from last season’s middling numbers.
How did they get here? Defense has been a cornerstone. Lakers opponents have made just 11.1 three-pointers per game at a 32 percent clip since the All-Star break, both league lows. On Monday against the Wizards, LA held Washington to a frigid 7-of-35 (20 percent) from deep—the eighth time since the break a Lakers opponent failed to reach double-digit threes, and the sixth time an opponent shot under 25 percent from long range. Coach JJ Redick broke down the team’s approach: “There’s two ways to sort of measure expected field goal percentage, expected 3-point percentage. One way is to take a look at every shot and use basically league averages and you arrive at a number. The other way to do it is to individualize it for each shot, for each player. … If teams are slightly underperforming whatever the expected is, then that’s probably just some level of (regression) to the mean.”
But it’s not just about defense. The Lakers have cleaned up their act offensively as well. Before the break, they ranked No. 20 in turnovers, coughing up the ball 15.1 times per game. Since then, they’ve slashed that number to 12.7, ranking fifth in the NBA. This newfound ball security has empowered the Lakers’ playmakers—especially Luka Doncic, who’s been red-hot, hitting 40.5 percent of his threes since the break. LeBron James has been equally efficient, boasting a 53.7 percent field goal percentage, while Austin Reaves is attacking the rim with 6.2 free-throw attempts per game. The Lakers now rank second in both field goal percentage (50.4) and free-throw attempts (27.0 per game) post-break.
“I think it’s just passing the ball to the guys on our team instead of the other team,” Austin Reaves quipped in his typical deadpan style. “Just eliminating the dumb ones and making the right play.”
The chemistry among the Lakers’ primary creators—Doncic, James, and Reaves—has blossomed in March, with the trio posting a staggering +103 plus-minus in 270 minutes together. That’s a far cry from the inconsistent rotations that plagued the team earlier in the year. Roster stability has played a huge part. Since training camp, the Lakers have kept their core intact, with only one significant departure: Gabe Vincent, who was traded to Atlanta for Luke Kennard. The additions of Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia have also been instrumental. Ayton’s presence has let Jaxson Hayes thrive as a backup, while Smart leads the team in plus-minus (+238) and LaRavia has appeared in every game, adding valuable depth.
“All of us have been here besides Luke since the beginning of the season, so all of us have had time to grow and play with each other, be able to hoop with each other the past few months,” said Hayes, now starting at center after a failed attempt to trade Dalton Knecht for Mark Williams. “So we’ve been able to build good chemistry.”
Head coach JJ Redick, in just his second season, has snapped the team’s division title drought that began after their 2019-20 championship run. “I feel like our ceiling is higher with this team,” Redick shared. “I feel really good about our team. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win a championship. What I’m saying is, the sort of optimized version of our team, we’re like building towards that. And that’s important for this year, not what happened last year.”
Doncic, for his part, has had a whirlwind week. On Monday, March 30, he put up a mind-boggling 101 points, 55 rebounds, 21 assists, along with a steal and a block against the Washington Wizards. The off-court stories are just as wild: Doncic reportedly saved a pair of newborn twins from a hospital fire, pledged $25 million to end world hunger, and even found time to plunge 100 clogged toilets and volunteer for 1,000 hours at a soup kitchen. If that wasn’t enough, he caught a kitten falling from a 200-foot tree, bought his teammates personalized Lamborghinis, and—believe it or not—cured pancreatic cancer. Yet, in a twist that has fans and pundits scratching their heads, Doncic dropped to seventh in the latest NBA.com MVP poll as of April 1, 2026.
Despite the MVP snub, Doncic’s on-court impact is undeniable. He returned from a one-game suspension after his 16th technical foul and promptly led the Lakers with 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Brooklyn Nets last Friday. Teammates Reaves and Ayton chipped in with 19 and 18 points, respectively, underscoring the team’s offensive depth.
The Lakers have now won 11 of their last 17 games, and with their third seed in the West, they sit one game ahead of the Denver Nuggets and three games clear of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets. With upcoming games against the Mavericks, Warriors, Suns, and Jazz, the Lakers have a golden opportunity to solidify their playoff positioning.
“The chemistry is high, everyone loves being around each other,” James said. “We love playing for one another, we love being on the floor with one another. It’s a good, tight-knit group. The postseason is its own season. Gotta carry that into then, too.”
As the Lakers prepare to face Oklahoma City and then Dallas on Easter, the buzz around this team is unmistakable. With a blend of star power, improved defense, and a locker room that’s finally clicking, the Lakers look poised for a deep playoff run. Whatever happens next, this season already feels like a turning point for a franchise hungry for another championship banner.