JJ Redick Gets Angry At Lakers Players For Giving Up Easy Points Against Heat

JJ Redick was fuming at his Lakers players over a defensive breakdown against the Heat.

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Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick reacts during the game against the Miami Heat during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick isn’t the type to mince words, and he went off on his players in the fourth quarter of their 130-120 win over the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. The Lakers gave up an easy lob to Kel’el Ware due to a defensive breakdown, and Redick immediately called a timeout and cussed out his team.

Much of Redick’s anger seemed to be directed at Jaxson Hayes there. Hayes came over to double Nikola Jovic in the post, and that left Ware in position to get two of the easiest points of his career.

Redick appeared to say, “We aren’t in f***ing fire,” indicating that Hayes was not supposed to help. The big man should have just stayed back.

This is not the first time that we have seen Redick going off on his players in this manner. Most famously, he blasted the team during Game 2 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. They went on an 11-2 run after he called them out that night and went on to win the game.

We didn’t necessarily see a big run from the Lakers here after Redick’s outburst, but they slowly pulled away and eventually beat the Heat by 10.

Hayes may have made a mistake on that play, but he didn’t have a bad outing overall. The 25-year-old put up 15 points (7-7 FG), five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. With Deandre Ayton out due to back spasms, the Lakers were going to need Hayes to step up as they were up against a frontcourt of Ware and Bam Adebayo. He did just that and deserves praise.

Another Laker who stepped up against the Heat was Jake LaRavia. LaRavia had 25 points (10-13 FG), eight rebounds, three assists, and four steals on the night. This was the second time in three games that he hit the 25-point mark, and he’s showing why the Lakers decided to sign him in free agency this past summer.

As for the two big names on the Lakers, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves played well, but they weren’t efficient.

Doncic posted his first triple-double of the season by recording 29 points (9-22 FG), 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. The Slovenian saw his 40-point game streak come to an end here, but he was just happy to get the win.

Reaves, meanwhile, had 26 points (9-22 FG), four rebounds, and 11 assists against the Heat. Doncic thinks the Lakers would have racked up 150 points if he and Reaves had shot better, and they certainly would have come close.

The Lakers have now won three in a row and have improved to 5-2 in this 2025-26 season. Not many would have seen them get off to such a good start with LeBron James being on the sidelines. They are more than just staying afloat in James’ absence, and Redick deserves credit for how well they have played.

The Lakers are in action next against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Monday at 10 PM ET. The Trail Blazers won 122-108 when the teams last met on Oct. 27, but Doncic didn’t play in that contest. You’d imagine the outcome is likely to be different this time around, thanks to the five-time All-Star.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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