Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick broke down his team’s 123-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors, pointing to rebounding issues and offensive stagnation as key factors.
The Lakers struggled to contain Golden State’s second-chance opportunities, allowing seven offensive rebounds for 12 points in the second quarter. Redick noted that defensive effort was strong early, but the inability to secure rebounds led to costly extra possessions.
“Our first-shot defense was great throughout the first half,” Redick said postgame. “We couldn’t score for six and a half minutes, and we expected them to switch everything. We scored 69 points in the second half against the same defense.”
Stephen Curry torched Los Angeles for 37 points, while rookie Brandin Podziemski added 28, making a career-high eight three-pointers. The Warriors’ outside shooting and offensive rebounding kept the Lakers from regaining control.
Redick emphasized that offensive struggles in the first half stemmed from self-inflicted mistakes rather than anything Golden State did defensively.
“We showed them at halftime the spacing mistakes—having the wrong guy in the dunker spot, the wrong guy in the corner,” Redick explained. “It was not the structure of what we’re trying to do against switches. We just didn’t have the proper spacing.”
Luka Doncic had an off night, shooting just 6-for-17 and being frequently targeted in pick-and-roll situations. When asked about Dončić’s performance, Redick was blunt: “Wasn’t his night.”
LeBron James led the Lakers with 33 points and nine assists, while Austin Reaves added 31 points, making a career-high nine threes. Despite their efforts, Los Angeles fell short in crucial moments.
Golden State entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead and quickly extended it with an 8-0 run. Redick pointed to missed opportunities during that stretch, including two wide-open Lakers threes that failed to drop.
“There were a number of possessions where we got a stop, but they ended up getting an offensive rebound and scoring on it,” Redick said. “Just a few plays there—like the 8-0 run to start the fourth—we just couldn’t muster that big momentum-changing stretch.”
The Lakers shot 38.3% from three but allowed Golden State to hit 19 threes at a 45.2% clip. The inability to limit the Warriors’ perimeter shooting, combined with rebounding woes, made it difficult for Los Angeles to gain momentum.
Jonathan Kuminga added 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Golden State, while Draymond Green provided eight points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
The loss tightened the Western Conference standings, with the Lakers now just one game ahead of the Warriors for fourth place. Redick acknowledged that his team is still developing the mentality needed for a playoff push.
“We’re still building it. We’re not there,” Redick said when asked if the team had fully embraced the urgency of playoff basketball.
