Can LeBron James and Austin Reaves Lift the Lakers in Game 6? How Good is Good Enough?

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers · May 1, 2026 · 39m

Generally speaking, in the NBA Playoffs if your stars aren't stars, you're not going to win.

Now, sometimes they're stars and you lose anyway. But rarely do they falter and the team still advances. So that's the position the Lakers are in LeBron James was pretty good (but not spectacular) and had a couple key turnovers. Austin Reaves did some good stuff, leading the team in assists and making 12 of 13 free throws. But he also missed 12 of his 16 field goal attempts.

That's not good enough.

So can the Lakers stars elevate against an excellent Houston defense?

How good exactly do they need to…