Jake LaRavia’s 1 word answer to LA’s answer to heavy exercise

LOS ANGELES – Following Los Angeles Lakers‘ brutal loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day, head coach JJ Redick was more than frustrated when he took the oath that the next practice will be uncomfortable. And after the message was delivered at practice, it appeared to be received as the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 125-101. After the win, Jake LaRavia summed up the Lakers’ response to their tough practice in one word.

“Energy,” LaRavia said. “The energy was really good, the vibes were good, everyone was positive after the meet. We came out of the meet in a positive way, and we didn’t look back at the criticism or whatever was said, we didn’t let it affect us negatively. We came out, we had a great practice, and hopefully this is the first of a mini-win streak.”

Jake LaRavia did his part to secure the Lakers victory against the Kings, finishing with a solid 11 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 25 minutes. He shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, weaving his way through the Kings’ defense on multiple possessions to tie and-ones and finish 3-point games.

In a a season in which there were problems with multiple injuriesS, LaRavia was among the Lakers’ most durable players. He has appeared in all 30 games so far, including nine starts, logging just over 25 minutes per game. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 45.2 percent from the field.

After splitting his first three NBA seasons with the Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, LaRavia signed with the Lakers as a free agent in the offseason. Most of the things Redick talked about during the Lakers’ losing streak, namely energy, effort and defense, are things LaRavia brings to the table every night. And the team as a whole brought those intangibles against the Kings.

“I felt like this game was a real team game. I was thinking defensively, we all had each other’s backs. We had a few games where everyone was guarding everyone on the floor and we were covering everyone,” LaRavia said. “When somebody got beat, somebody else was there. I just thought we looked really good as a team tonight on both sides of the ball. It was just a really good team win.”

The Lakers will look to start another winning streak when they host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Pistons enter the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 24-8.