Redick praised the Lakers for their strong mentality after they achieved a six-game winning streak.
2026-03-18 05:47
With baskets from Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reeves, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 100-92 in another NBA regular season game. JJ Redick stated in an interview that his team approached the game with a playoff mentality and executed their defense very well.
In the second quarter, the Houston Rockets took the lead with a strong offensive surge. However, the Los Angeles Lakers continued to look for offensive opportunities and ultimately defeated their opponents 100-92, achieving a six-game winning streak.
According to the data, Luka Doncic scored 36 points and 4 assists in this game, LeBron James scored 18 points and 5 assists, while Austin Reeves contributed 15 points and 5 assists for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick said, "The Houston Rockets are a very good team. They force opponents to play harder and match them in terms of physicality, or they will be dominated. But we did not back down."
“I think we made some adjustments in the second half and executed very well defensively, especially in trying to keep Kevin Durant away from the ball. We forced nine turnovers in the fourth quarter that way, and our defense was very good in the second half.”
Redick emphasized, "At this stage, we have to have a playoff mentality, and I think our players did that and executed it very well. We double-teamed the opponent a bit in the first half, but after halftime we slowed down the double-teaming and switched to a full rotation defense from positions 1 to 5, and we did a good job of rotating in this defensive system."
"LeBron James also did a great job filling the middle. He's one of the best transition offense players in the NBA and a very impactful presence on our offense. I told him midway through the game that he was playing very hard, which is important because that kind of fighting spirit motivates the whole team."
In addition, Redick said, "Austin Reeves guarded Kevin Durant at the start of every possession, and he also had a steal on the inbound pass, a block, and five assists. He is a truly great basketball player."
“During the timeout, we needed to decide on our fifth player to come in. Deandre Ayton hadn’t played much before, but he was ready and helped us win the game. His offensive rebounds and a few baskets were very important.”
Image source: Internet
