The Los Angeles Lakers were on a four-game NBA losing streak after losing LeBron James to an injury, and while they have recovered with a two-game winning run, head coach J.J. Redick isn’t entirely satisfied.
The Lakers handed a blowout 125-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, March 15, yet Redick’s keen coaching eyes caught a key concern from the team’s performance.
Redick Sends Strong Message To Lakers Locker Room
The Spurs took a 9-2 lead at the start of the first quarter, and instead of panicking, Redick remained calm as he watched his players answer with a 9-0 haymaker before closing out the first quarter with a 32-22 lead.
Los Angeles squeezed the Spurs’ defense after that initial lead, tying them to 35% shooting, and like that, there were several moments when the Lakers’ defense looked playoff-ready.
However, Redick wasn’t entirely satisfied and warned the locker room that their defense transition needed to be better as they start preparing for a tough back-to-back set against the Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers have a defense transition rating of 111.9, good for the eighth-best in the league.
“I think against Denver, we are gonna reference this a lot because there were things that we did really well, but we think we can emulate again, and then there are some things that we didn’t do well and particularly with back game. Our transition defense has to be better and then we have to do a better of protecting the paint against Milwaukee,” he said post-game.
JJ Redick on facing the Nuggets on Wednesday: "Our transition defense has to be better." #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/hFbpd7ZZjA
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) March 18, 2025
Lakers Led By Dončić
The Lakers have been led by Luka Dončić following James’ injury, and the Slovenian is averaging an impressive 31.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 8.0 assists over the last five games, which included a 40-point showing against the Bucks. However, even he acknowledged the challenge posed by the Nuggets.
“The team that has Jokic is always dangerous,” previewed 26-year-old Dončić in a postgame press conference following the win over the Spurs, “With him on the court, there’s always danger and it’s hard to play against him. He knows all the tricks. He’s an amazing basketball player. But that’s fun for us. That’s a challenge for us.”
Dončić posted 21 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists while shooting 5-for-20 from the field and 1-for-7 from three-point range in the win over the Spurs, marking the 10th consecutive team he has scored 20+ points for the Lakers.
Los Angeles also saw another 30-point performance from Austin Reaves, while Jordan Goodwin and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed with 15 points each.