Lakers head coach JJ Redick highlighted the team’s resilience after Saturday’s 105-104 win over Orlando, saying, “We had to overcome a lot tonight and by that, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Redick praised Luke Kennard’s late-game heroics: “He makes the first baseline or side out of bounds play, makes the right pass perfect on the money to LeBron. As soon as he caught it and released it, we knew it was… the highest grade.”
He also reflected on LeBron James’ milestone, noting, “He’s had an awesome season. He’s had an awesome career… there’s just a deep-seated love for the game of basketball. He loves the process. He loves his routine. He loves the feeling of being diligent.”
Addressing officiating challenges, Redick said, “Another night where explanations just get changed based on a whim… we just kept playing. We talked about it at halftime. We talked about it in huddles. One of the weirdest games I’ve been a part of in that regard.”
Redick emphasized team growth on the road trip, adding, “We’ve had a number of things happen… that has shown growth for our group. We did a good job of just playing through stuff, whether it was some cold shooting, some hot shooting from them for a little stretch there.”
On the varied ways the Lakers have won during their streak, he noted, “For the group to grow, we as individuals have to grow… that’s been fun to see over the last few weeks.”
Redick also spoke about traded players and their integration: “It’s hard getting traded mid-season… all night he was really, really good for us and deserved that opportunity.”
The coach addressed the 16th technical foul of the season for Luka Doncic. “No, but we’ll obviously try to get that rescinded. I’m not sure what happened. I do know that there were certain things said in a language that the referees couldn’t understand in references to Luka’s mom,” Redick said. “Again I think they just… Austin gets targeted three times by Carter. Like, they just didn’t have real good control of that basketball game.”
Reflecting on the season’s intensity, Redick explained, “Every stage of the season is exhausting for different reasons… it’s all felt rewarding to see the growth for the group. There’s a lot we can get better at from tonight.”
Concluding on LeBron’s longevity, he added, “Not only need to have the love, but you need to have the love for the commitment… to prepare your body and to prep your mind and to get your rest.”
