The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 101-94 at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday to go up 2-0 in this first-round series. This wasn’t what anyone expected coming into this series, as both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out with injuries. So, when Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked in his postgame press conference about analysts saying the Lakers have what it takes to win, he had a sharp response.
“I didn’t know anybody said we had what it takes to win,” Redick said, via Spectrum SportsNet.
There are times when you can accuse head coaches of acting oblivious, but this is not one such instance. No one was talking about the Lakers having an “it” factor and whatnot just a week or so ago. They were seen as almost a lock to be knocked out in the first round once Doncic and Reaves went down with hamstring and oblique injuries, respectively.
Redick even said he was certain everybody wanted to play the short-handed Lakers in the playoffs before their 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns on April 10. You’d imagine the Rockets certainly weren’t quaking in their boots once the matchup was set. They were overwhelming favorites and are now in trouble.
The Rockets did suffer a blow of their own when superstar forward Kevin Durant missed Game 1 due to a patellar tendon bruise. Durant’s absence could be used as an excuse for their 107-98 loss that night, but he was back for Game 2, and the outcome was the same.
Redick’s game plan for Durant worked extremely well, too. The 16-time All-Star constantly faced double-teams in the second half and couldn’t find solutions. Durant had 20 points at halftime and finished the game with 23. The 37-year-old also had nine turnovers, and this isn’t a game he is going to look back on too fondly.
Redick still recognizes Durant is capable of taking over a series, and isn’t taking any victory laps just yet. He knows there is still a long way to go and isn’t letting his guard down.
The Lakers had faced a lot of criticism when they hired Redick in 2024. He had no prior head coaching experience, even at the high school level, and it was seen as a huge risk to give him the job. It’s safe to say now that Redick has been a good hire. The 41-year-old isn’t perfect, but he has completely outcoached Rockets head coach Ime Udoka up to this point.
Redick’s players are buying what he is selling, too. He has had his clashes with some of them over the course of the season, but they’re all playing hard right now. Redick liked how they matched the Rockets from an effort standpoint here.
“We saw it happen over the last couple of days, with road teams winning Game 2,” Redick said. “I think there’s a natural flow to series, where the team that wins can relax a little bit, and the team that loses comes out and plays with more desperation. And I thought our guys at least matched their sense of desperation.
“Our second efforts, our multiple efforts, all that stuff,” Redick continued. “I mean, you got to win a bunch of little fights. That could be your catch position offensively, that could be your screens, that could be creating separation, that could be boxing out. This team requires you to win a bunch of little fights.”
Redick will now be looking to land the knockout blow on the Rockets in Game 3. If the Lakers go up 3-0, this series will be all but over.
Game 3 will tip off at Toyota Center on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
