Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised his team’s performance after Wednesday night’s 137-130 win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “Really good trip for us,” Redick said. “There’s a couple games… like Miami and this game… they play with so much pace both in the full court and in the half court.”
Redick highlighted the impact of his starters on setting the tone early. “Jake defensively to start that game… getting deflections and steals, LeBron out and running, Jaxson out and running. Luka and AR just being relentless with their paint touches… we ended up with 70. We had 40 points in the paint in the first half.”
He praised Jaxson Hayes for his energy and efficiency, noting, “It starts with running the floor for him… he did a great job of getting to the spots with pace and then, at times, playing through some contact… he ends up with two steals and two blocks.” Hayes finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, marking his first double-double of the season.
Redick also addressed the development of Bronny James, stating, “To be able to rely on him tonight… he’s gotten significantly better… his athleticism, his defense… he had two really good defensive possessions in the first half… he’s having a fantastic season with South Bay.”
The coach emphasized LeBron James’ adaptation to his role. “I used the word patience the other night… having patience with the flow of the game, having patience with me, having patience with his shots… he gets out in transition… we gave him four things and he’s executed all four of those things really well.” James contributed 23 points and nine assists.
Redick also detailed the team’s offensive approach, highlighting ball movement and execution. “We intentionally ran a lot of ATOs with multiple options and actions tonight… the one thing some of the singular action play calling was like we went to flash single… LeBron was a screener, Luke was the recipient… we scored both times and we passed like four or five times.”
The Lakers overcame injuries to Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Marcus Smart while Luka Doncic led the way with 43 points on 15-of-30 shooting and seven assists. Austin Reaves added 25 points, and the team totaled 15 steals. “Play the game in front of you and win the game in front of you… our guys did a great job of executing throughout the trip,” Redick said.
Los Angeles improves to 47-26, winning 10 of 11, and will host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The Pacers fall to 16-57 and return home to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
