The Los Angeles Lakers were left demoralized when they fell to the Chicago Bulls earlier this week after blowing an 18-point lead. Fortunately, the Lakers didn't dwell on the embarrassing defeat, instead immediately returning to the win column with a 134-127 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
As usual, the Lakers' latest win couldn't have been made possible without a strong performance from their 'Big 3:' LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. Although the trio is more than capable of winning games on their own, it turns out that a pre-game message from their head coach likely played a big role in the game-deciding performance.
Lakers' Big 3 Was Motivated by JJ Redick's Speech Before Win vs. Grizzlies
Following the Lakers' latest win, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that head coach JJ Redick met with James, Doncic, and Reaves before the game. Redick's goal was for the meeting to motivate the Big 3 after the loss to the Bulls, and it's safe to say that the former player's decision was the right one.
"I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful," Reaves told reporters. "Tonight, it just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession."
"It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level."
New story: JJ Redick gathered LeBron, Luka and Reaves for a meeting to get LAL’s playmakers on the same page. They responded with what Redick called the best offensive display of the season https://t.co/ikoXWEtero
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 30, 2025
Redick added that he wasn't exactly surprised by the Lakers' hard-fought effort at FedExForum. If anything, his pre-game message was all about reminding his players about their potential rather than trying to tear them down for how they performed against the Bulls two nights earlier.
"I'm not surprised at how hard we played and how well we played tonight," Redick admitted. "I made sure the group knew that I believed still and that the coaching staff believed, and they were resolute in their belief in this team."
The good news is that Redick's message was well-received by each of his top players. Reaves led the charge with a game-high 31 points, finishing just short of a triple-double with eight assists and seven rebounds. Doncic was also in triple-double territory with 29 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, while James continued defying Father Time with 25 points, eight helpers, six boards, and a trio of steals.
The bounce-back win improved the Lakers' record to 47-28, leaving them to occupy the Western Conference's No. 3 seed with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Needless to say, Los Angeles will need similar performances from its Big 3 down the stretch to help solidify the team's postseason outlook.
Speaking of which, the Lakers currently hold the fifth-best 2024-25 NBA Finals odds (+1900) on FanDuel Sportsbook. Whether or not they can improve upon those odds throughout the regular season's final stretch remains to be seen.
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