The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a crushing 107-91 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, snapping their impressive three-game winning streak. Although losing to the Spurs raises some concerns, Lakers head coach JJ Redick had a largely positive outlook on the result.
While speaking with the media during his post-game availability, Redick shared some valuable insights on the Purple and Gold’s performance, even stating that the team could become great if the necessary conditions were met.
Reporter: “You guys had 16 made field goals in the first half; Luka contributed to 14 of them – seven assists, seven buckets of his own. Obviously, it was a four-point game as well. How does that kind of example of leadership and the disposition he brought to tonight, to be able to produce that way, really kind of singlehandedly keep the team in it for a long stretch of the game?”
Redick: “I think there was a lot of plays where he [Doncic] made the right play from a certain basketball portion of leading, taking control of the game, and keeping your team in it. There’s also the communication, the body language, the facial expressions, and the spirit. I thought that was all in a great spot.”
“The whole group was fantastic tonight. Just a really good fight. I think two guys who have now stacked multiple games in a row for us are Jake [LaRavia] and Jaxson [Hayes]. And that’s exciting, because at some point you assume that you’re going to be at full health.”
“I think we’re gonna eventually be a great basketball team, and to do that, you need nine or ten guys that are playing high-level basketball. Both those guys, really Jake, since the first Phoenix game, Jaxson of late, he’s now stacked five games in a row where he’s just playing great on both ends, and that’s been really big for us.”
JJ Redick’s faith in the Lakers’ roster is reassuring. However, as the head coach mentioned, health has been an issue for the Purple and Gold.
With three starters sidelined for the game against San Antonio, the Lakers fielded an extremely shorthanded lineup. Still, the team managed to remain within striking distance for a large portion of the game thanks to Luka Doncic‘s heroics and Jake LaRavia’s (16 points, seven rebounds) effort.
Doubts have arisen about the Lakers’ ability to compete with some of the best teams lately. Although their roster isn’t convincing enough to be a title contender, it would appear that Redick’s belief in the team remains intact.
Luka Doncic Takes Accountability For The Lakers’ Loss
Luka Doncic seemed like one of the best players on the court on Wednesday night. With a 38-point triple-double, Doncic singlehandedly attempted to will the Lakers to victory. Unfortunately, the superstar’s efforts came up short.
During his post-game media availability, Doncic took responsibility for the Lakers’ loss despite his phenomenal individual performance.
“I think I should have done way better than this,” he stated. “Missed free throws, turnovers tonight. I think we had some great looks, too. We could have knocked them down, but we didn’t.”
Although Doncic’s assessment of his own performance was harsh, much like Redick, the superstar seemed quite pleased with the team’s performance as a whole.
Given that the Lakers were playing an away game on the second night of a back-to-back with a shorthanded rotation, the team certainly wasn’t in the best position to compete. In light of this, the fight displayed by the unit could be considered impressive. However, given the competitiveness of the Western Conference, every game has postseason implications.
With a 23-12 record, the Purple and Gold remain in fourth place in the West. But with only half a game separating them from the Rockets in sixth place, the Lakers will need to build a consistent winning habit to ensure they retain their position before going into the All-Star break.
