Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised his team’s performance following a 112-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. LeBron James hit a go-ahead three with 1:12 remaining, while Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double with 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Redick emphasized James’ impact down the stretch, saying, “LeBron was like our connector tonight. The second action stuff was huge all around, defensively, scheme and everything else.” He added that James’ late scoring, including a follow-up mid-range jumper, was crucial in securing the win.
The Lakers coach also highlighted Doncic’s all-around contribution despite returning from a brief absence, noting, “Luka wasn’t at necessarily his best scoring the basketball, still did a lot of great stuff for us and ended up with a triple-double.” Redick praised his point guard for creating advantages through screens and off-ball movement.
Defensively, Redick pointed to a strong second-half effort after conceding 60 points in the first half. “DA in particular led on that end of the floor for us. He was in drop, being disruptive, getting loose balls, blocking shots, switching on to Maxey. Whatever we needed him to do, he did it,” Redick said, highlighting the Lakers’ adjustments.
The coach also addressed team resilience and offensive flexibility, noting that the squad could thrive even when key scorers were not at their peak. “It’s okay. It’s not Austin’s night, it’s okay night. We played through LeBron a lot down the stretch. The unselfishness to just, hey, the ball swings to me, I can shoot it, great. There’s no need to force it,” Redick said.
Regarding the team’s road trip, Redick said, “I do think it’s important uh to be reminded every now and then of of what you’re capable of… so tonight was was super important… to finish this road trip now two two and one on this trip.”
The win improves Los Angeles to 17-6 and marks their third straight victory. The Lakers will host San Antonio on Wednesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, while Philadelphia returns home Friday to face Indiana.
