JJ Redick rips Lakers after Christmas loss to Rockets: ‘We don’t care enough’
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 19-10 on the season after a 119-96 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas. It was the Lakers’ third straight loss, and coach JJ Redick was quick to tear into his team after the game.
“We don’t care enough about it right now,” Redick said. “And that’s what bothers you the most. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be professionals.”
Redick’s frustration and doubts about his team’s professionalism came after the Lakers fell to 4-6 in their last 10 games following a 15-4 start to the season. The Lakers trailed by double digits for the entire second half against the Rockets, which only fueled Redick’s postgame comments.
“The two words of the day were effort and execution,” Redick said. “And I feel like when we’ve done those two things at a high level, we’ve been a good basketball team. When we haven’t, we’re a terrible basketball team. And tonight, we were a terrible basketball team. And it legitimately started right away.”
Redick’s questioned effort could be seen in almost every facet of the game, including the Rockets outscoring the Lakers 48-25.
Redick promised an “uncomfortable” practice for his team on Saturday as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings sit in last place in the Western Conference with a 7-23 record and offer Los Angeles an opportunity to get things moving in the right direction.
Lakers star Luka Dončić, who leads the NBA with 33.7 points per game, echoed his coach’s comments after the loss.
“I don’t know what needs to change, but something definitely needs to change,” Dončić said. “I think we [were] has exploded the last three games. This really looks terrible. We just need to talk about it. Everyone needs to talk about it. I know JJ said it was going to be uncomfortable [for everybody]. As they should be. Everyone needs to try harder, starting with me. »
