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Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reacts after LA Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) was called for an offensive foul in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on February 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Lakers had their Big 3 of Austin Reaves, Luka Doncicaand LeBron James for only the 11th time this season on Friday. The outcome was positive, as the Lakers survived a 125-122 thriller at home against the LA Clippers to begin the second half of the season on a winning note.
With the win, the Lakers (34-21) also inched to within 1.0 game of the Denver Nuggets (36-21) for the third seed in the loaded Western Conference.
Even as the Lakers — fully healthy for the first time this season — appear to be trending in the right direction, Charles Barkley isn’t buying them as legitimate title contenders. The 1993 NBA MVP labeled the Lakers “mediocre” on Friday’s “Inside the NBA” on ESPN, while downplaying their victory over their intercity rivals.
Charles Barkley Disses Lakers
“They maybe can win a round [in the playoffs],” Barkley said of the Lakers.
“Just because they won, that they beat a mediocre Clippers team, and I know the guys going to go on TV because, you know, they throw them stats out there…When those three guys [Deaves, Doncic, James] play together, they still ain’t going to [contend].”
Barkley does not foresee a world in which the Lakers could beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs.
“If they’re six, seven and eight and they have to play Denver, Houston, or OKC, they’re not going to beat those teams,” Barkley said. “I’m not even sure they can beat San Antonio. Let me rephrase it: they can’t beat San Antonio.”
Barkley also does not see the Lakers beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, who beat Luka Doncic and Co. in a gentleman’s sweep in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
Austin Reaves Responds
Reaves, who scored 29 points in Friday’s win, overheard Barkley’s rant before joining “Inside the NBA” for an interview.
“Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion,” he said of Barkley’s take on the Lakers.
Reaves was asked whether he felt more confident in the Lakers’ chances now that the Big 3 are healthy and how his role changes when playing next to James and Doncic.
“I don’t really know if it changes much,” Reaves responded. “I just go out there and play the game the right way, and try to support those two guys as much as I can. They’re both great players, and I try to compliment them as much as I can.
Last year, the Lakers clinched the third seed after an exceptional run following the All-Star break. Many analysts believe JJ Redick’s team could replicate that feat, largely because several top-seeded teams in the West are dealing with injury concerns entering the stretch run of the season. While the Nuggets are set to be without Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson for at least another month, the Thunder have yet to set a timeline for the returns of All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
The Lakers (34-21) will next host the Boston Celtics (36-19) in a matinee game on Sunday. The Celtics blew out the Lakers, 126-105, in their last meeting on Dec. 5, when both LeBron James and Luka Doncic sat out with injuries.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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