The 1964-65 Los Angeles Lakers season was marked by significant challenges and notable achievements. The team finished the regular season with a 49-31 record, securing second place in the Western Division. Under the guidance of head coach Fred Schaus, the Lakers showcased a balanced team effort with strong individual performances.
Star guard Jerry West led the team with an impressive average of 31.0 points per game, establishing himself as one of the league’s premier scorers. West’s performance was complemented by forward Elgin Baylor, who contributed significantly with an average of 27.1 points per game. The dynamic duo was instrumental in driving the Lakers’ success throughout the season.
The Lakers faced off against the Baltimore Bullets in the Western Division Semifinals, winning the series 3-2. This victory set up a highly anticipated matchup against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. The rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics was intense, and the finals series reflected this competitive spirit. Despite their efforts, the Lakers were unable to overcome the dominant Celtics, who secured the championship in a tightly contested seven-game series, 4-3.
The 1964-65 season was a testament to the Lakers’ resilience and competitiveness. While they fell short in the finals, the performances of West and Baylor solidified their status as legends of the game and set the foundation for future success in the franchise’s storied history.
- Regular Season Record: 49-31
- Playoff Result: Division Finals: 4-2, NBA Finals: 1-4
Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats for 1964-65 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Jerry West | 74 | 31.0 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 40.6 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Elgin Baylor | 74 | 27.1 | 11.8 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Rudy LaRusso | 77 | 14.1 | 8.2 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 15.0 | 8.1 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dick Barnett | 74 | 13.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10 | 17.5 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Leroy Ellis | 80 | 10.3 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 14.4 | 12.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jim King | 77 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 6.5 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Gene Wiley | 80 | 5.1 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 7.0 | 14.4 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Darrall Imhoff | 78 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Walt Hazzard | 65 | 4.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 7.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Don Nelson | 39 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Cotton Nash | 25 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Billy McGill | 8 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jerry Grote | 11 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Los Angeles Lakers in the 1965 NBA Playoffs
1965 Conference Championship vs. Baltimore Bullets
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 03, 1965 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 121-115 | |
| Apr 05, 1965 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 118-115 | |
| Apr 07, 1965 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 122-115 | |
| Apr 09, 1965 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 114-112 | |
| Apr 11, 1965 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 120-112 | |
| Apr 13, 1965 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 117-115 |
1965 NBA Finals vs. Boston Celtics
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 1965 | @ Boston Celtics | L 142-110 | |
| Apr 19, 1965 | @ Boston Celtics | L 129-123 | |
| Apr 21, 1965 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 126-105 | |
| Apr 23, 1965 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 112-99 | |
| Apr 25, 1965 | @ Boston Celtics | L 129-96 |
Los Angeles Lakers 1964-65 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1964-65 season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 1964 | @ New York Knicks | W 113-109 | |
| Oct 20, 1964 | @ Cincinnati Royals | L 121-113 | |
| Oct 21, 1964 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 108-105 | |
| Oct 23, 1964 | @ San Francisco Warriors | W 94-92 | |
| Oct 28, 1964 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 112-102 | |
| Oct 29, 1964 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | L 98-95 | |
| Nov 01, 1964 | vs. St. Louis Hawks | L 116-115 | |
| Nov 05, 1964 | vs. New York Knicks | W 106-96 | |
| Nov 07, 1964 | vs. San Francisco Warriors | W 130-103 | |
| Nov 10, 1964 | vs. New York Knicks | W 108-101 | |
| Nov 12, 1964 | @ New York Knicks | W 132-123 | |
| Nov 13, 1964 | @ Boston Celtics | W 114-112 | |
| Nov 14, 1964 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 127-115 | |
| Nov 15, 1964 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 111-105 | |
| Nov 18, 1964 | vs. Cincinnati Royals | L 92-90 | |
| Nov 20, 1964 | vs. Cincinnati Royals | W 131-121 | |
| Nov 25, 1964 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 130-117 | |
| Nov 27, 1964 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 117-111 | |
| Nov 28, 1964 | @ San Francisco Warriors | L 109-106 | |
| Nov 29, 1964 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 126-110 | |
| Dec 01, 1964 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 118-117 | |
| Dec 02, 1964 | @ St. Louis Hawks | L 105-102 | |
| Dec 04, 1964 | @ Cincinnati Royals | L 104-90 | |
| Dec 06, 1964 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 109-104 | |
| Dec 08, 1964 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 108-98 | |
| Dec 10, 1964 | vs. St. Louis Hawks | L 95-91 | |
| Dec 13, 1964 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 116-115 | |
| Dec 15, 1964 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 131-116 | |
| Dec 16, 1964 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 126-120 | |
| Dec 18, 1964 | @ Cincinnati Royals | L 111-107 | |
| Dec 19, 1964 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 140-113 | |
| Dec 21, 1964 | vs. New York Knicks | W 125-113 | |
| Dec 23, 1964 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 135-117 | |
| Dec 26, 1964 | vs. San Francisco Warriors | W 129-122 | |
| Dec 28, 1964 | @ Boston Celtics | L 133-112 | |
| Dec 30, 1964 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 117-115 | |
| Jan 02, 1965 | @ St. Louis Hawks | W 115-112 | |
| Jan 03, 1965 | @ St. Louis Hawks | W 99-92 | |
| Jan 07, 1965 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 112-104 | |
| Jan 09, 1965 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 107-103 | |
| Jan 11, 1965 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 128-127 | |
| Jan 14, 1965 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 104-100 | |
| Jan 15, 1965 | @ Cincinnati Royals | L 124-106 | |
| Jan 17, 1965 | @ St. Louis Hawks | L 118-105 | |
| Jan 20, 1965 | vs. New York Knicks | W 119-103 | |
| Jan 22, 1965 | vs. New York Knicks | W 117-107 | |
| Jan 24, 1965 | @ Boston Celtics | L 117-93 | |
| Jan 26, 1965 | @ New York Knicks | W 111-99 | |
| Jan 27, 1965 | vs. Cincinnati Royals | W 119-112 | |
| Jan 29, 1965 | vs. Cincinnati Royals | W 137-133 | |
| Jan 30, 1965 | @ San Francisco Warriors | W 109-99 | |
| Jan 31, 1965 | vs. San Francisco Warriors | W 96-94 | |
| Feb 02, 1965 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 121-118 | |
| Feb 03, 1965 | @ Cincinnati Royals | L 130-99 | |
| Feb 06, 1965 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 116-112 | |
| Feb 07, 1965 | @ Boston Celtics | L 101-97 | |
| Feb 08, 1965 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 117-98 | |
| Feb 10, 1965 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 110-99 | |
| Feb 12, 1965 | vs. San Francisco Warriors | W 114-95 | |
| Feb 13, 1965 | @ San Francisco Warriors | W 129-105 | |
| Feb 17, 1965 | @ New York Knicks | W 118-98 | |
| Feb 18, 1965 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 117-110 | |
| Feb 19, 1965 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 119-111 | |
| Feb 21, 1965 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 129-114 | |
| Feb 24, 1965 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 97-95 | |
| Feb 26, 1965 | vs. St. Louis Hawks | W 106-90 | |
| Feb 28, 1965 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 122-118 | |
| Mar 02, 1965 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 126-117 | |
| Mar 03, 1965 | @ Boston Celtics | W 104-102 | |
| Mar 05, 1965 | @ New York Knicks | W 105-103 | |
| Mar 06, 1965 | @ St. Louis Hawks | L 109-107 | |
| Mar 07, 1965 | vs. Cincinnati Royals | W 106-104 | |
| Mar 09, 1965 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 123-114 | |
| Mar 11, 1965 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 121-116 | |
| Mar 12, 1965 | @ San Francisco Warriors | W 115-93 | |
| Mar 13, 1965 | vs. St. Louis Hawks | W 106-101 | |
| Mar 14, 1965 | vs. St. Louis Hawks | L 115-108 | |
| Mar 16, 1965 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 100-99 | |
| Mar 17, 1965 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 117-106 | |
| Mar 20, 1965 | vs. San Francisco Warriors | L 112-98 |