JJ Redick: ‘I’m Not Doing Another 53 Games Like This’
Lakers coach JJ Redick questioned his team’s professionalism and commitment to winning after Thursday’s 23-point loss to Houston, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The Rockets took control of the game early, building a 14-point lead in the first quarter and sustaining a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.
“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick said. “And that’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be a professional.”
Redick made similar comments after watching his team lose by 24 points to Phoenix on Tuesday. The Lakers have lost dropped three straight games and six of their last 10 and are now just three games away from falling into play-in tournament territory. Redick cited “effort and execution” as the difference on Thursday as Houston dominated the boards by a 48-25 margin and pulled down 17 offensive rebounds.
“Saturday’s practice — I told the guys — it’s going to be uncomfortable,” Redick said. “The meeting is going to be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
Luka Doncic was able to return after leaving Saturday’s game with a lower left leg contusion, but he didn’t provide much of a spark. McMenamin notes that he turned the ball over three times in the first 2:11 and finished with six giveaways for the night. Rui Hachimura also returned after missing two games with a groin strain, but Austin Reaves experienced calf soreness and didn’t play after halftime. He’s set to undergo an MRI today.
“I don’t know what has to change, but definitely something needs to change,” Doncic said. “Think we (were) blown out the last three games. It definitely looks, like, terrible. We got to figure out, that’s the thing we have (to do). … We just got to talk about it. Everybody got to talk about it. I know JJ said it’s going to be uncomfortable (for everybody). As they should be. … Everybody has got to give better effort, starting with me.”
LeBron James also had a rough night as L.A. was outscored by 33 points in the 32:26 he was on the court. According to McMenamin, it was James’ worst plus-minus rating since joining the Lakers and the third-worst of his career.
Jarred Vanderbilt, who came off the bench to contribute 11 points and five rebounds, also recognizes that changes need to happen before Sunday’s game against Sacramento.
“Ultimately, certain stuff just needs to be said and certain stuff needs to be done and we got to be able to communicate with each other and be receptive of it, whether it’s criticism or, we got to have them hard conversations,” Vanderbilt said. “JJ [was] alluding to that, that you got to have these conversations. We don’t want this to keep lingering. And right now it’s three in a row, but we don’t want it to keep going the wrong direction.”
Austin Reaves Has Calf Soreness, Will Undergo MRI Friday
9:35 pm: Reaves will undergo an MRI on Friday, a source tells Woike (Twitter link).
8:51 pm: Austin Reaves has been ruled out for the second half of the Christmas Day matchup against Houston due to left calf soreness, according to the Lakers (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic).
The 27-year-old guard recorded 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just under 15 minutes prior to the announcement. Marcus Smart started the second half with Reaves out, tweets Jovan Buha.
It’s a worrisome development for the Lakers, as Reaves just returned to action on Tuesday after missing nearly two weeks with a left calf strain. The team referred to that initial strain as “mild.”
Reaves was off to a terrific start to his fifth season prior to sustaining the calf strain. In his first 21 games (all starts), he averaged 27.8 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per night, with a .503/.369/.875 shooting line.
Reaves came off the bench in Tuesday’s blowout loss in Phoenix, finishing with 17 points (on 6-of-11 shooting), two rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes. He also had three turnovers and the Lakers were outscored by 17 points when he was on the court (they lost by 24).
Los Angeles opened the season with an impressive 15-4 record but has looked shaky lately, especially defensively. The team will likely drop its third straight game on Thursday to fall to 19-10 — the Lakers currently trail the Rockets by 17 points with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter.
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Hayes, Reaves, Hachimura, Vincent, Defense
Good news for Lakers and NBA fans in general today: Luka Doncic is expected to play in the fourth of five games on the Christmas slate, the Lakers’ home game against the Rockets, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (video link).
Doncic suffered a lower left leg contusion in Saturday’s loss to the Clippers. He subsequently missed the team’s 24-point loss to the Suns. The Most Valuable Player candidate is averaging 34.1 points, 8.8 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Doncic has officially been upgraded to probable, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets, while big man Jaxson Hayes has been ruled out due to an ankle ailment.
[Update: Both Doncic and Hachimura have been upgraded to available, tweets Marc Stein].
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach JJ Redick believes Austin Reaves will be an All-Star this season (Twitter video link via McMenamin). “I would imagine it would mean a lot to him—a whole lot. He and I have had discussions about how surreal it is for him to be playing at this level and in this position. I absolutely think he’ll be an All-Star this year,” Redick said. “You always have to be careful as an athlete to stop and smell the roses. With the nature of competition, particularly over 82 games, there’s really no time to take your foot off the gas. That’s the opposite of who he is. He’s the type of player who consistently wants to get better, wants more, is willing to put in the work, and is willing to go out on the court and play hard enough to go for more. He’s proven that over and over again.”
- Doncic and Reaves have developed a “bromance,” which McMenamin chronicles for ESPN.com. “We act like we’re probably 10-year old best friends,” Reaves said. “You have a deeper care for one another than just basketball. And then that bleeds into basketball, because you don’t want to let that person down. … You don’t want to not give it your all.” Doncic signed a contract extension with the Lakers over the summer, while Reaves figures to sign his next contract in July of 2026.
- Rui Hachimura (groin) could also return to action today, but guard Gabe Vincent, one of the team’s top perimeter defenders, will miss his fourth game with lower back soreness, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Thuc Nhi Nguyen. The Lakers are ranked 28th defensively over the last 14 games and Redick says his team can’t take possessions off, as we detailed on Wednesday.
JJ Redick Calls Out Lakers’ Defensive Effort
The Lakers still have a strong 19-9 record after Tuesday’s 132-108 loss in Phoenix, but their 117.6 defensive rating places them 24th in the NBA, and none of the six clubs below them in that category have more than 10 wins so far this season.
Recognizing that his team is trending in the wrong direction defensively, head coach JJ Redick highlighted the issue after Tuesday’s loss, admitting that the Lakers don’t have enough players who play maximum-effort, physical basketball on a consistent basis, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“We practice this stuff enough,” Redick said of the club’s defensive principles. “We review this stuff enough. We show film on this stuff enough that to me, it like comes down to … just making the choice. It’s making the choice.
“There are shortcuts you can take or you can do the hard thing and you can make the second effort or you can sprint back or you can’t. It’s just a choice. And there’s a million choices in a game, and you’re very likely not going to make every choice correctly. But can you make the vast majority of them correctly? It gives you a chance to win.”
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the Lakers believe this year’s team has a higher ceiling than last season’s, with Luka Doncic more comfortable in Los Angeles and plenty of offensive talent surrounding him. However, as Woike points out, the roster is missing last season’s highest-energy players like Dorian Finney-Smith and Jordan Goodwin.
The Lakers added former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart in free agency over the summer and he has lived up to expectations when he’s been healthy. In Smart’s 523 minutes on the court, L.A. has a defensive rating of 111.9, which would be tied for fifth in the league. That figure balloons to 119.1 with Smart on the bench.
Smart agreed with Redick that there’s plenty of work to do on that end of the floor.
“We doing s–t. We’re being real s—ty right now, and it’s showing,” Smart said, per McMenamin. “… Every team goes through it trying to figure it out. You just pray that it happens early and we can fix it before it’s too late.
“But yeah, there’s really no defense, no scheme we can do when we’re giving up offensive rebounds in crucial moments like we are, or guys are getting wherever they want on the court. And there’s no help, there’s no resistance, there’s no urgency. So, it’s tough. And JJ is right. There’s really nothing he can do. It’s on us.”
There’s some internal skepticism that the answer to the Lakers’ defensive woes is in-house, according to Woike, who points out that Finney-Smith and Goodwin were in-season additions in 2024/25. With the February 5 trade deadline just over six weeks away, the front office figures to be on the lookout for defensive-minded players who could meaningfully upgrade the current roster.
Trade Rumors: Sexton, Wolves, Pelicans, Hawks, Bagley
Although the Hornets are willing to discuss potential trades, they still hope they can contend for a play-in spot and aren’t looking to simply sell off veterans, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Fischer, veteran guard Collin Sexton and his expiring $19MM contract looks like Charlotte’s most logical trade candidate.
Minnesota is one team that has done its homework on Sexton, Fischer says, explaining that the Timberwolves appear to be trying to get a sense of their range of options at the point guard spot as they seek an upgrade on their current options. While sources tell Fischer that the Wolves are adamant about not including budding star Jaden McDaniels in any deals, rival executives suspect the back-to-back conference finalists will be more aggressive on the trade market than most other Western contenders.
As Fischer explains, teams like the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, and Spurs aren’t considered likely to make in-season splashes, so the only other club currently in the top six of the West that figures to be actively seeking meaningful upgrades is the Lakers. And it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to acquire the sort of three-and-D player they’d love to add.
Here are a few more NBA trade rumors:
- As coveted as Pelicans forward Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III are, sources believe they’re unlikely to be moved at the trade deadline, writes Brett Siegel of Clutch Points. Rival scouts view Jose Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, Jordan Hawkins, and Jordan Poole as New Orleans’ more likely trade candidates, in that order, per Siegel.
- Although the Hawks have checked in on Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, there has been no momentum in those talks and there’s a sense that Atlanta is more likely to target a lower-salary replacement if the team builds a deal around Kristaps Porzingis‘ expiring contract ahead of the deadline, says Siegel. One hypothetical proposal put forth by league personnel would see the Hawks target a package like Nikola Vucevic and Coby White from the Bulls, though there’s no indication that the two teams have explored that sort of trade, Siegel clarifies, noting that it’s just an example of the type of move that would likely appeal more to Atlanta than going after someone like Davis.
- Siegel singles out Wizards big man Marvin Bagley III as a player to watch ahead of the deadline, writing that he has begun generating interest from teams looking to fortify their frontcourts.
Austin Reaves Cleared To Return For Lakers
Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been upgraded to available for Tuesday’s game against Phoenix, the team confirmed in its latest injury report.
Reaves hasn’t played since December 10 due to a left calf strain. Although his absence has spanned nearly two weeks, the standout guard has only missed three games during that time, with the Lakers playing a very light schedule in mid-December. The team went 2-1 during his absence.
Reaves, 27, is in the midst of a career year. In his first 21 games (all starts), he averaged 27.8 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per night, with an excellent .503/.369/.875 shooting line. He and Luka Doncic, who is averaging a league-best 34.1 points per game, have been the NBA’s most productive backcourt when healthy, though Doncic isn’t currently healthy, having been ruled out for Tuesday’s game due to a lower left leg contusion.
Although he has had a pair of three-game injury absences so far in 2025/26, Reaves is still well positioned to reach the 65-game requirement for end-of-season award eligibility, and it’s not out of the question that he could earn consideration for certain honors – including Most Improved Player – if he continues to perform like he has in the first two months of the season.
Reaves is also playing for his next contract. He’ll almost certainly turn down his $14.9MM player option for 2026/27 and sign a new deal as an unrestricted free agent next summer. Our Rory Maher explored what that contract might look like in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors mailbag.
Injury Notes: Lakers, Knicks, Daniels, Watson, McConnell
Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided encouraging updates on injured guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on Monday, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.
Doncic, who didn’t play in the second half of Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, has a lower left leg contusion and is considered day-to-day. The 26-year-old had the bruised area taped during the portion of Monday’s practice that was open to the media, Price notes.
Reaves was able to go through portions of Monday’s practice and is also considered day-to-day, Redick said. The fifth-year guard has missed the past three games with a left calf strain the team described as mild.
[UPDATE: Doncic is out Tuesday at Phoenix, but Reaves has been upgraded to questionable, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).]
Starting center Deandre Ayton should return to action on Tuesday, according to Price. Ayton won’t be listed on the team’s injury report after sitting out the past two contests due to a sore left elbow.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Knicks will be shorthanded on Tuesday, as Eastern Conference Player of the Week Jalen Brunson (right ankle injury management), defensive ace OG Anunoby (left ankle soreness) and backup big man Guerschon Yabusele (illness) have all been ruled out ahead of the contest at Minnesota, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Brunson missed a couple of games in mid-November due to a right ankle sprain.
- Reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels has been ruled out of the Hawks‘ rematch with Chicago on Tuesday due to right hip inflammation, according to Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link). It will be Daniels’ first absence of the 2025/26 campaign. Reserve forward/center Mouhamed Gueye is also on the injury report, having been listed as questionable with a right shoulder sprain.
- Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who was kneed in between the hip and rib areas last Monday, had a minor setback in terms of the pain he’s experiencing from the injury, head coach David Adelman said ahead of Saturday’s loss to Houston (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). While Watson has been out most of the past three games with the right trunk contusion, it doesn’t sound like a long-term issue — Adelman said the former first-round pick had a 50% chance to play Saturday before he was ruled out.
- Veteran Pacers guard T.J. McConnell will be sidelined for Monday’s game vs. Boston due to left knee soreness, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays (via Twitter). McConnell missed the first 10 games of the season with a strained hamstring, but had been active for the past 18 contests heading into Monday.
Clippers Notes: Lue, Zubac, Paul, Niederhauser
The Clippers‘ season got a little brighter on Saturday with a win over the rival Lakers, but they have a long way to go to recover from a disastrous start, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Prior to the game, coach Tyronn Lue challenged his team to go 35-20 the rest of the way to reach .500 and later amended that to 36-19 for a winning season.
That may not be realistic for a team that entered the night near the bottom of the Western Conference, but Lue wants to give his players something to shoot for. He wasn’t completely happy with the performance on Saturday, but he hopes it will move the team in the right direction.
“We got to start at one,” Lue said. “We told our guys that today. I thought we came out with the right intent. Like I said, being up 15 at halftime, I thought we should have been up probably 20 to 25. And that second half, we just didn’t run through the tape. We got to get better with that. But it is a huge win for us.”
Lue adopted a must-win mentality for Saturday’s game and relied heavily on his stars, playing Kawhi Leonard nearly 42 minutes and James Harden almost 41 minutes. The Clippers snapped a five-game losing streak, picking up their first victory since December 3 and their first win at home in more than seven weeks. Although they’re still in a dire position, holding the league’s fifth-worst record and owing their first-round pick to Oklahoma City, there’s at least some hope for the future.
“I think we’ve probably led in every single game we played,” Harden said. “We’ve had big leads and then allowed them to just (dissolve), however that looks. So just finding a way to win a game, man. And it feels like it’s been forever, but I feel good.”
There’s more on the Clippers:
- The only downside on Saturday was the loss of center Ivica Zubac, who suffered a left ankle injury in the first quarter and was ruled out of the game, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Zubac, who’s averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per night, hasn’t missed a game all season. The Clippers said his condition will be evaluated Sunday.
- LeBron James told reporters after the game that he hasn’t talked with longtime friend Chris Paul since the Clippers announced they were “parting ways” with him earlier this month (video link from McMenamin). James declined to give his opinion on the situation, saying, “It’s not for me to comment on, to be honest. It’s none of my business.”
- Lue wasn’t able to offer an update about the status of first-round pick Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who has been experiencing knee soreness, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). The rookie center has only made one brief appearance since December 3.
Luka Doncic Leaves Game With Left Leg Contusion
The short-handed Lakers suffered another significant loss Saturday night when Luka Doncic didn’t return to the game after halftime due to a contusion on his left leg, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Doncic entered the contest as the NBA’s leading scorer at 35.2 points per game, but he was noticeably off during the first half. He shot just 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in 19:34.
“I saw him hobbling towards the end of the first half. He came to me at halftime and said he couldn’t go,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “… I don’t have any other information.”
Doncic left the arena without talking to reporters, and Redick declined to speculate how much time he might miss. A source familiar with the injury told McMenamin it occurred in a collision with Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Durability concerns were among the reasons Dallas decided to trade Doncic last February, but he has been mostly healthy in his first full season with the Lakers, appearing in 21 of the team’s first 27 games. McMenamin notes that he missed three games in late October with a lower left leg contusion, but there doesn’t appear to be any connection between that injury and the latest one.
The Lakers were already missing three starters coming into the game, with Austin Reaves out due to a left calf strain, Deandre Ayton dealing with left elbow pain and Rui Hachimura suffering soreness in his groin. All the injuries appear to be short-term, as Redick indicated that Reaves and Ayton could be available for Tuesday’s game at Phoenix, while Hachimura might be sidelined for three-to-five days.
Second-year forward Dalton Knecht started the second half in place of Doncic and finished with two points and four rebounds in 13:29 as the Lakers dropped a 15-point decision to their crosstown rivals. LeBron James scored a season-high 36 points to keep the game competitive, but the rest of the team shot 19-of-60 (31.7%) from the field and 3-of-31 (9.7%) from three-point range.
“No matter what the circumstances are, it’s still next man up,” James said of the injuries. “We’re all professionals. We all got to stay ready. So, obviously it’s very challenging circumstances for our ball club tonight, but I think we played extremely hard, we followed our keys. We just came up short.”
Rui Hachimura Has Groin Soreness, But May Return By The End Of The Week
- Lakers coach J.J. Redick said “the hope” is that Rui Hachimura will only be sidelined for three-to-five days with groin soreness, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Hachimura started to feel discomfort in his hip area during Thursday’s game at Utah. Redick also said Deandre Ayton (left elbow) and Austin Reaves (left calf) are both making progress and could be ready for Tuesday’s contest at Phoenix.