Head coach JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers endured heartbreak by losing 119-117 Thursday night to the Chicago Bulls in the United Center. Fourth-year guard Josh Giddey hit a half-court buzzer-beater to win the game after a go-ahead layup by Austin Reaves with three seconds remaining. Los Angeles was led by the scoring of Reaves who had 30 points on 58.8% shooting.
While the Lakers have begun to regain their durability (the full rotation was available outside of Rui Hachimura), they have lost their ability to bounce back after losses. LA has endured both three and four-game losing streaks since their eight-game win streak in early March.
After the devastating loss, Redick had a blunt answer when asked how not to allow the emotions to carry into their next game.
"We're not in a position to feel sorry for ourselves," said Redick.
The rookie head coach also had praise for the team's efforts despite the loss, adding, "I thought overall outside of a couple [of] plays, the execution, the shots we were getting, it was good."
JJ: "We're not in a position to feel sorry for ourselves."
Don't forget, catch live Lakers games on Spectrum SportsNet+ with the NBA app, on us!
: https://t.co/k8Sa1tLkWspic.twitter.com/Ssxf6JzQzV
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 28, 2025
This marks the fourth loss in five games for a Lakers team that is trying to climb as high as possible in the Western Conference standings before the playoffs arrive. They currently sit tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the fourth seed and are just a game and a half back of the Denver Nuggets for third.
Saturday is an important matchup for LA as they face the Grizzlies in Memphis in the first game since Memphis decided to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins (via Shams Charania).
While Los Angeles' record is a dominant 30-13 against the Western Conference, the record against the East is merely 14-16 (via StatMuse). The discrepancy between home and away is similar as the Lakers are 28-9 at home compared to 16-20 on the road.
Related: Grizzlies Make New Move After Head Coach Gets Fired
Related: Luka Doncic Sends Clear Austin Reaves Message After Pacers Game
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 2:24 PM.