The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a crucial stretch without two of their main scorers, and coach JJ Redick isn’t sugarcoating things; the whole focus now is just staying afloat.

With both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out because of injuries, Redick put it pretty simply. The team’s number one job now? Buy enough time for those guys to get healthy and come back.

“Both those guys are going to try to come back,” Redick said, right before the Lakers faced the Mavericks. “So it’s our job to extend the season so that they can come back.”

That’s really where the Lakers are: hanging onto hope, but also feeling the pressure. This team is fighting to keep its spot in the Western Conference playoff race, and now they have to do it shorthanded.

Losing Doncic and Reaves changes everything. They’d been driving the offence night after night. Now that both are out, the outlook becomes really murky. Doncic has been putting up monster numbers: over 33 points, eight assists, and almost eight rebounds a night. Then he goes down with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and those usually take weeks to heal. Odds are, he’s not coming back for the rest of the regular season, maybe longer.

Reaves? He messed up his ankle chasing down a rebound during a loss to the Thunder. He did finish the game, but the tests later, after a mix-up with the MRI, "You've confirmed it was a pretty bad strain. He’ll be out four to six weeks, at least. No guarantee he’s back to start the playoffs.

Those two together? They were combining for nearly 57 points a game. Their absence rips a giant hole in the Lakers’ scoring and playmaking.

So, what now? The rest of the roster needs to step up, fast. LeBron James put it well: “You've got to flip the mindset a little bit. I think it’s up to all of us, whoever is in the lineup, to pick up our play.” The Mavericks game will be the first time they take the floor without both Doncic and Reaves.

LeBron had been more of a facilitator lately, putting up modest scoring numbers, but now the load shifts right back to him. Over his last seven games, he averaged about 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists on fewer shots than usual. That’s likely to change now.

This isn’t just about trying to grab a higher seed anymore. It’s about survival. The Lakers are just barely holding onto a top-three spot in the West, and any misstep could knock them into a much tougher playoff run.

So, they’ll lean on the 41-year-old James (unreal), plus guys like Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura, and DeAndre Ayton, hoping somebody gets hot, and the group holds together. Every game counts, and Redick’s message is simple: keep finding ways to win until your stars can get back on the court.

The Las Vegas Raiders have really pulled back on free agent signings lately, but their roster still has plenty of holes to fill. They didn’t use the franchise tag this year, though they did lock down some restricted free agents.

One guy they definitely wanted to keep was safety Tristin McCollum. He didn’t get much attention in free agency, but the Raiders knew they wanted him back. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McCollum and the Raiders have finally worked out a deal so he’s staying in Las Vegas.

Last season, McCollum ended up with the Raiders after the Philadelphia Eagles waived him. He played in 16 games for the team in 2025.

McCollum started his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans, but he never saw the field there. He spent two years with the Eagles and even earned a Super Bowl ring for the 2024 season.

He’s mostly known for his work on special teams, though he can add some depth at safety. At just 26, McCollum’s got youth and athleticism on his side, and on a defence full of new faces, he’ll have plenty of chances to make some noise.

Klint Kubiak Wants More Depth at Safety

Now McCollum joins Terrell Edmunds, Jeremy Chinn, and Isaiah Pola-Mao in the safety group. Honestly, it’s not the strongest bunch right now. Chinn is solid, but Pola-Mao had a rough time last season.

Edmunds, a first-round pick in the past, just hasn’t been able to stick around on one team. It feels like the Raiders might still need to draft a safety. Head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear they have to strengthen that spot.

“I think we've got to get deeper,” Kubiak said recently. “It’s a good draft for that position. I think we've got three guys that we’re working with right now. We got to continue to build that depth.”

Raiders Make Youth the Priority This Offseason

Last offseason, the Raiders weren’t expected to be contenders and still wound up with an older roster. This time, though, youth was the plan. General manager John Spytek said the team made that choice on purpose.

“We wanted to get younger, we wanted to target the right kind of people, and so I’m just proud of the work that they put in,” Spytek said. “It was great teamwork while we waited to fill out the coaching staff.

“And then we waited until after the Super Bowl for Klint [Kubiak], and things moved faster after that. Our scouts and coaches worked really well together, and I think we did a good job in free agency making the Raiders better.”

If the Raiders want to build a team that lasts, they have to stay committed to bringing in young talent.