URGENT UPDATE: The Los Angeles Lakers are in turmoil following a disheartening 119-96 Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets. This defeat marks the Lakers’ third consecutive loss and their sixth in the last ten games, prompting head coach JJ Redick to question the team’s commitment and professionalism.
“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick stated emphatically after the game. “That’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary.” With a crucial matchup against the Sacramento Kings coming up this Sunday, Redick warned that the team must address its issues immediately. “Saturday’s practice—it’s going to be uncomfortable,” he insisted. “I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
The Lakers’ performance against the Rockets was alarming from the start, as Houston surged to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half. Redick pinpointed a lack of effort and execution as the key failures, saying, “When we’ve done both of those things at a high level, we’ve been a good basketball team. When we haven’t, we’re a terrible basketball team.”
Luka Doncic, returning from injury, led the Lakers with 25 points but struggled with a team-high of six turnovers in just over two minutes into the game. The Rockets capitalized on these mistakes, dominating the boards with a staggering 48-25 rebounding advantage.
Adding to the team’s challenges, Austin Reaves left the game at halftime due to left calf soreness, an injury that had recently sidelined him for three games. An MRI is scheduled for Friday to evaluate his condition moving forward.
Despite Doncic’s contributions, he expressed frustration over the team’s recent performances. “I don’t know what has to change, but definitely something needs to change,” he said. “We just got to talk about it. Everybody got to talk about it. I know JJ said it’s going to be uncomfortable for everybody. As they should be.”
LeBron James, who scored 18 points, had a particularly tough outing, registering his worst plus-minus performance as a Laker, being outscored by 33 points during his time on the court. Following the game, James, along with Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart, declined to comment on the team’s struggles, leaving teammates Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt to address the media.
“It might be a disconnect right now,” LaRavia remarked. “We just have to be able to reel it back in and get back on the right track.” Vanderbilt echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need for critical conversations within the team. “Certain stuff just needs to be said and certain stuff needs to be done,” he stated. “Right now it’s three in a row, but we don’t want it to keep going the wrong direction.”
With the Lakers’ season hanging in the balance, all eyes will be on Saturday’s practice as the team confronts its issues head-on. The urgency for change has never been clearer, and fans are left wondering if the Lakers can turn their fortunes around before facing the Kings.
