The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling, and the head coach, JJ Redick, refuses to hold back.
For their Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets, the Lakers had a chance to show the basketball world they are one of the better contenders in the Western Conference. They ended up falling flat.
No excuses were made by Redick after Thursday’s game. In fact, the head coach was as brutally honest as he ever was, ripping into his team’s execution level.
“Guys will say they want to win. The care factor to me is do I actually care enough to do what I’m supposed to do, and just do it consistently? That’s really what the championship habits are and that’s just what we don’t have right now.”
Amid Redick’s honest press conference, he noted that the Lakers’ Saturday practice session will be “uncomfortable” as they review the film from Thursday’s disappointing loss.
“Tonight we were a terrible basketball team,” Redick stated.
The Lakers got blown on Christmas Day, and there’s no other way to describe it. The Rockets posted 119 points, shooting over 50 percent from the field.
On the other side, the Lakers scored just 96 points. Luka Doncic posted a team-high 25 points, while LeBron James added 18 points with 7-13 shooting from the field.
The Lakers lost their thriving standout guard, Austin Reaves, after 15 minutes of action. Reaves was dealing with a calf-related setback, which has been an issue for him lately.
Thursday’s loss drops the Lakers’ record down to 19-10 on the year. They are on a three-game skid and have another tough matchup next on the schedule.
Following what is expected to be an uncomfortable practice session on Saturday, the Lakers will take on the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. That could be a good opportunity for the Lakers to bounce back and improve their confidence, as the Kings are 7-23 on the year.
With Thursday’s loss, the Lakers trail the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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