Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick
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JJ Redick offered an honest look at the Lakers’ defensive struggles and why Tuesday’s comeback win matters.
The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t just erase a double-digit deficit Tuesday night, they showed signs of defensive cohesion that has been missing for most of the season.
In a 115-107 comeback win over the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers flipped the game after halftime, turning a 14-point deficit into one of their most encouraging performances of the year. For a team that entered the night ranked 26th in defensive rating, the second-half response mattered as much as the final score.
A Rare Defensive Response From a Struggling Unit
The Lakers trailed 71-57 at the break, but outscored Denver 58-36 in the second half. The effort looked different. Rotations were sharper. Help defense arrived on time. Communication held together under pressure.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick pointed directly to roster dynamics as a complicating factor when things go poorly and why staying connected has become a coaching priority.
“One of the things that makes it complicated for us is, we have a lot of guys that are going to be free agents, and we have a lot of guys that have player options for next summer, so you might as well count them as free agents,” Redick said.
“And the tendency for any athlete when things aren’t going well … you’re naturally going to turn inward. So that’s really what our emphasis points as coaches are, just being about the group and staying connected and keep continuing to fight and play for each other.”
That collective approach showed up statistically. Over the last two games, the Lakers own a defensive rating of 104.2, second-best in the league during that span. It’s a small sample, but it’s a notable departure from their season-long profile.
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Why the Shift Matters and Why It’s Fragile
NBA reporter and analyst Jovan Buha laid out the stakes clearly in his reaction to the victory. For a team with postseason ambitions, the Lakers’ defensive ranking had become untenable.
“They are desperate to try to fix the defense,” Buha said. “The Lakers entered tonight as the 26th ranked defense, bottom five defense in the NBA. No team with serious aspirations can be bottom five on either end of the floor. Really, you shouldn’t be bottom 15 on either end of the floor. You certainly can’t be bottom 10 on one end of the floor.”
“So LA being bottom five in defense has been a red flag. And again, we have a 41-game sample and they have been a bottom five defense up to this point in the season. So JJ talked about after the game like sitting with his coaching staff and trying to figure out the best defensive approach, also talking to the analytic staff and trying to figure out the best defensive approach. And it sounds like they’re going to be taking a game by-game approach and really tailoring the game plan to the specific opponent and how they want to attack them.”
That adaptability appeared to take shape against Denver. The Lakers held opponents to 44 points in the paint over their last two games, limited fast-break scoring to 10.5 points per game, and allowed a league-low eight second-chance points. Opponents have shot just 43.3 percent in that stretch, well below Los Angeles’ season mark of 48.7 percent.
Offensively, LeBron James and Luka Doncic carried the load as expected. LeBron scored 12 of his 19 points after halftime, while Luka posted a dominant triple-double with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
But in the end it was the defensive effort, not the star power, defined the night.
New Questions After Another Injury
The momentum came with a cost. Deandre Ayton suffered a left eye injury in the first half and did not return after halftime. The Lakers ruled him out early in the fourth quarter after initially listing him as questionable.
Ayton finished with four points and eight rebounds and had been solid anchoring the interior. His absence leaves Jaxson Hayes and two-way forward Drew Timme to absorb minutes against elite frontcourts.
For now, the Lakers have something they haven’t consistently had all season: proof of concept. Whether it holds, especially with injuries mounting, will determine how real this defensive shift actually is.