JJ Redick promises ‘real mentality’ on Christmas against Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their first back-to-back losses of the season after 132-108 loss against the Phoenix Suns. Coming off a loss to the LA Clippers last Saturday, the Lakers will look to right the ship and get back into the win column when they host the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. After the Lakers’ loss to the Suns, the head coach JJ Redick promised that the team have a must have mentality for their holiday showdown, according to Spectrum Sports.

“The guys have done a great job responding to the challenges, whether it’s injuries, a loss, a poor performance. We’ve got a lot of games left, so we’ve got to continue that trend and we’ve got to stick together,” Redick said. “After these two games, you won’t have a good taste in your mouth, and you’ll be thinking about how you played, how the team is playing. I told them to take time off tomorrow, be with the family, enjoy the rest, we’ll all come with the right mentality at Christmas.”

Amidst the Lakers’ recent losing streak, and in terms of their play as a whole this season, the defense has come into question. The 132 points the Lakers gave up against the Suns were tied for the second-most points given up this season. The most points they’ve given up is 135 by the Utah Jazz last week, albeit in a win.

Against the Suns, Redick explained how he felt like the Lakers exhausted every defensive option before there was nothing left to throw at their opponent.

“We tried the zone, they got a layup and an open three … we didn’t get the ball iced in the pick and roll. On the second possession in the zone, they got the middle, we didn’t go under, they got the layup,” Redick said. “You don’t do the things that we’re trying to do to kind of protect and keep the ball away, you’re going to be exploited.”

“We’ve had a few games where we haven’t been good, but I think again the theme with our team, these young teams that are moving, we just can’t move. It’s like we’re stuck in the mud,” Redick continued. “The zone didn’t work, we went to 15 in the second half, a one-to-five change, it didn’t work. You have no options at this point.”

After losing to the Suns, the Lakers they were ranked 25th in the NBA in a defensive rating of 118.9, according to StatMuse. Their next chance to turn things around is on Christmas Day against the Rockets. Although nothing is concrete, there is a possibility Luka Doncic could return in the lineup that day.