Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick called out Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and his teammates after their 119-96 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets. Redick said the Lakers players didn't care enough, questioning their professionalism, and vowed to put his guys through the toughest practice of the season before facing the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
The Lakers responded with a 125-101 blowout win. After the game, Redick highlighted Doncic and James's cohesive approach and said it's a testament to the teams' practice beforehand, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
“I'm not surprised at the way those two guys played together tonight, because yesterday was one of the best practices we've had with the two of them playing together and just sharing the basketball and playing two-man action,” Redick said.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 34 points on 11-of-23 shooting, including 5-for-14 from deep, and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. He also finished with seven assists, five rebounds, three steals, and one block. LeBron James contributed 24 points on an efficient 11-of-13 attempts, five assists, and two steals.
JJ Redick shares uncomfortable truth about 2025-26 Lakers
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Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and head coach JJ Redick against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
When head coach JJ Redick called out his Lakers players following a 23-point Christmas Day loss to the Rockets, he didn't hold back. Some wondered whether the harsh assessment would fall on deaf ears, given Redick's bold approach as he vowed to put his players through the hardest practice they had had this season.
“We don’t care enough,” Redick said following the Lakers’ Christmas Day loss to the Rockets. “And that’s the part that bothers me a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary, and we don’t care enough to be professional. We had it, we had it. I always say this about culture, I always say this about a good team being a functioning organism, it can change like that. We don’t have it right now.”
The Lakers will host the Pistons on Tuesday.