JJ Redick offered detailed insight into the Lakers’ 127-125 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
“We set it up for him to miss and when I had kind of relayed instructions, it was to miss to the right side because that was the single side at the time,” Redick said of Austin Reaves’ late-game free throw rebound. “They all gave me crap in the locker room, but AR made the right play. He missed to the single side. It was a hell of a basketball play.”
Redick praised Reaves’ versatility and athleticism, noting, “He’s got good touch. I’ll say that. He’s good bowler. He’s apparently good in ping pong, although he hasn’t played me yet. Pickleball, tennis, golf, all those things.” The coach credited the guard’s performance for extending the game into overtime, allowing Luka Doncic to make the decisive 17-foot fall-away jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining.
On the decision to play Deandre Ayton in overtime, Redick explained, “He could guard Jokic, he did a nice job there. He could get on the offensive glass, which he did, and he made the little touch shot off the pass. He was great in overtime.” He added that the end-of-game execution was a combination of preparation and player awareness: “Luka just makes a great read on it. We had run that play in Phoenix in a close game… it ended up working out.”
LeBron James’ effort also drew praise. Redick said, “In 23 years of watching him in the NBA and three years in high school, I never saw him make a full-out extension dive like that. He said, ‘You’re right. I’ve never done that.’ It’s a winning play.” He emphasized the impact of small moments: “There were two things that stood out. So many guys made winning plays and we treated this like a playoff game.”
Marcus Smart’s energy and communication were highlighted as key factors. “It’s obvious when he’s not out there. We really missed his voice. He was great tonight. They executed the two-for-one to perfection, and we ended up getting the last shot, which was the difference in the game.”
Redick acknowledged areas for improvement, particularly in matchup recognition against Denver’s crossmatch defense: “At times it was good, at times it was really poor. We’ve got to be better about recognizing matchups to create the right opportunities.”
Despite the challenges, Redick expressed optimism about the team’s growth. “It feels like we’re coalescing in a really nice way. We still got a long way to go, but certainly optimistic with how we’ve handled this stretch of games and going eight and nine over the stretch is big time.”
