The Lakers lost Game 4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-110, got swept, and their season is over. But in the hours after the final whistle, one coaching decision is consuming the conversation more than the result itself.
With the Lakers trailing by five points and 12 seconds left, head coach JJ Redick had Rui Hachimura sitting on the bench. Sports personality Emmanuel Acho reacted on X, saying:
"JJ Redick, what the hell are you even thinking? What the hell? Why you take that man off the court, bro?"
It is not an unreasonable question if we’re to look at it. Hachimura scored 25 points in the game on 9-of-15 shooting, including nine of those points in the fourth quarter alone.
With two minutes left in regulation, the Lakers were down six, and Hachimura went on a personal run that included a four-point play to bring Los Angeles within two. He was unquestionably the most dangerous offensive player for the Lakers in the final frame.
With 12.2 seconds remaining, the score sat at Thunder 115, Lakers 110, following Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's two converted free throws after LeBron James missed a floater with about 20 seconds left. Austin Reaves had a clean look at a three-pointer on the last possession and missed.
JJ REDICK WTF YOU TAKE RUI HACHIMURA OFF THE COURT FOR???
Dumbest decision of the series! 🤬🤬#Lakers #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/Pl535JIURs
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) May 12, 2026
Redick's reasoning and why the full picture is more complicated
What Redick was actually thinking:
Oklahoma City had the ball with 32.8 seconds left, up by one after a Chet Holmgren dunk. The Lakers needed to stop the Thunder first, not to think about who might shoot later, maybe.
The Thunder swept the Lakers in four games. OKC went 8-0 against Los Angeles across the regular season and playoffs. The Thunder won the first two games of this second-round series by 18 points apiece and routed the Lakers 131-108 in Game 3.
One late substitution was unlikely to alter the outcome of a series that was never close.