Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Bronny James believes healthy Lakers can make deep playoff run

By Yagya Bhargava | Last updated Feb 11, 2026 9:17 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers got handled Tuesday night in a 136-108 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena. Victor Wembanyama put up 40 points, and the short-handed Lakers had no real answer for it.

Bronny James finished with 12 points and six assists in the loss.

He wasn't dodging the tough questions after the game either, pointing to effort and defense as the areas that need work.

But he also made it clear the locker room isn't rattled.

"I know that our team believes that we can be contenders and make a deep playoff run. We all believe that, and once we get healthy and all that stuff, it's just going to come down to playing hard and playing smart. Winning games," he told reporters.

Bronny on the Lakers' ceiling when healthy:

"Our team believes that we can be contenders and make a deep playoff run. We all believe that. It's just gonna come down to playing hard and playing smart and winning games" pic.twitter.com/1fmdYu8ZuT
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 11, 2026

JJ Redick had almost nothing to work with. LeBron James sat out with a foot issue, Luka Doncic was dealing with a hamstring strain and Austin Reaves was held back for minutes management after returning from a calf injury. Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton were also out.

Redick's starting five ended up being Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard and Kobe Bufkin.

That group was up against a Spurs team sitting second in the West at the All-Star break, and the younger players were carrying extra defensive responsibilities without the veterans around.

The loss was the Lakers' second straight, coming off back-to-back games against Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The Dallas Mavericks visit Thursday, and Los Angeles needs to find some footing heading into the All-Star break.

Yagya Bhargava

Yagya Bhargava began his professional journey as a chef, but his passion for sports eventually led him into sports journalism. He started writing in 2022 and has since published more than 5,000 articles covering the NFL and NBA. Along the way, he’s worked with outlets like The Cold Wire, Sportskeeda, The SportsRush, and The Big Lead

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