Player Grades: Lakers vs. Warriors

Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 118-108 win over the Warriors

The Lakers dominated the Warriors on Saturday night, improving their record to 25-18 on the season. They have now won five of their last six games.

Rui Hachimura may have been out, but the rest of the Lakers came to play. Anthony Davis was dominant, Max Christie locked up Steph Curry, Dorian Finney-Smith played well with the starters and Jarred Vanderbilt returned.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Dorian Finney-Smith

26 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3PT, +20

DFS began the night with a nice corner 3-pointer and never looked back. He took the shots when they were open, played well defensively and had the best plus-minus on the team. Asking more from him would be unrealistic. He was great and this will likely make the noise from Lakers fans asking for DFS to start only louder.

Grade: A

LeBron James

35 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, 12-25 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, +11

LeBron paced himself well in this contest. He was an elite energy manager. When he needed to, he applied pressure and attacked. When possible, he got his rest and facilitated the ball, having a game-high 12 assists.

His dunk on an inbounds pass over Andrew Wiggins in the fourth quarter was a wonderful exclamation point for James in this victory.

Grade: A

Anthony Davis

36 minutes, 36 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 13-23 FG, 0-3 3PT, 10-12 FT, +9

There were a few plays here and there where Davis was lazy on defense, but that is an extreme thing to nitpick, given how well he played versus the Warriors. He is such an old-school player, scoring 36 points with no 3-pointers going in. AD was pushing Golden State inside and also making the longest twos possible.

He took a shot at the top of the key in the third and he laughed to himself after making it as if his own greatness tickled him.

Oh and he also dominated the glass with 13 rebounds. AD might be underrated around the league, but Lakers fans know how good and appreciate his greatness.

Grade: A+

Max Christie

31 minutes, 11 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 4-5 FG, 3-4 3PT, +4

Given his role, Christie had a near-perfect performance. He had the defensive responsibility of guarding Steph Curry most of the night and he shut him down. Curry went 4-17 from the field and failed to score in the second half.

Offensively, Christie only missed one shot, made three 3-pointers and grabbed eight boards. Take a bow, Max!

Grade: A+

Austin Reaves

39 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 6-10 FG, 1-4 3PT, 3-3 FT, +17

This game wasn’t as good as Reaves’ Christmas day performance when he made the game-winner, but it was a solid night for the Lakers guard.

He’s growing up right in front of Lakers fans and is a player you can trust in big games.

Grade: B

Gabe Vincent

25 minutes, 7 points, 2 assists, 1 block 3-8 FG, 1-6 3PT, +1

Gabe is a responsible adult you can trust. He makes the right plays even if he fails to execute on them. His shot wasn’t there against Golden State, but he still played due to his defensive ability and willingness to keep shooting, which helped spread the floor.

Things have started to balance out with Vincent. While his lows are underwhelming, he provides a baseline of quality that keeps him on the floor regardless of the situation.

Grade: B-

Dalton Knecht

23 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 5-9 FG, 3-7 3PT, -10

Knecht has become a thrilling player to watch. When he’s at his best, he’s an elite shooter and a strong finisher near the rim. When he’s bad, he can’t make a basket and gets attacked on switches. On Saturday, you saw both sides of the coin in Knecht’s game.

He had a nice two-handed jam to end the first and hit some gorgeous threes, but he did get picked on by the Warriors defensively. Knecht is a rookie, so you have to take the highs with the lows. Overall, he’s worth having out there, even if you have to deal with the growing pains mid-game.

Grade: B+

Jaxson Hayes

12 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, -8

If you believe Hayes can be the backup big the Lakers desire, burn this tape. Hayes was sloppy on defense, absent on offense and the two big lineups with him and AD were rough.

Grade: C-

Jarred Vanderbilt

12 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, +6

Vanderbilt immediately made an impact on his season debut. He was cleaning up the glass, forcing turnovers and rebounding the ball well. Vando looked completely fine and was sensational during his couple of shifts. Fingers crossed he is fully back and can continue to increase his minutes over time.

Grade: A

Christian Koloko

Koloko did not receive a grade in this game since he only played in the final minute of the win.

JJ Redick

Lakers head coach JJ Redick did a good job in Saturday’s win. He started DFS and that worked out well and he also used his timeouts marvelously in the fourth.

Minus a challenge that didn’t go their way, he pushed the right buttons and was one of the many reasons the Lakers have now won their third straight game.

Saturday’s inactives: Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bronny James Jr., Armel Traore, Trey Jemison III, Christian Wood

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.