After a heartbreaking defeat to the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers needed to quickly get back on track as Saturday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies was arguably their most important game of the season. With only a handful of games left in the regular season and the two teams tied in the standings, it had massive standings implications.
The result was a massive win for the Lakers to end their road trip with their three stars Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James leading the way.
The trio all filled up the statsheet and combined for 85 points, 21 rebounds and 25 assists in the victory. That was much-needed and head coach JJ Redick revealed after the game that he had a meeting with all three players the morning of the game to challenge them.
“We challenged all three of them when we get to their three-man actions to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity,” Redick said. “We were able to get some great stuff in the fourth quarter off that and create advantages we envisioned creating when we put those three guys together.”
Because of the importance of the game and the adversity his team has faced, Redick knew the Lakers would respond in a big way in Memphis.
“I think the biggest thing about our group is the response to the other night when we lose on a half-court buzzer beater,” head coach JJ Redick said. “I’m not surprised about how hard we played and how well we played tonight. 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.”
It has admitedly taken some time for Doncic, James and Reaves to gel as a trio offensively considering all three are used to having the ball in their hands. Redick was happy with how things looked in their 134-point performance in Memphis though.
“We played as well as we’ve played so far, offensively,” Redick said.
With the start of the playoffs around the corner, the Lakers may be starting to click at the right time with their stars leading the way.
Austin Reaves, who had an exceptional game against the Grizzlies, explained what Lakers head coach JJ Redick said to him, Luka Doncic and LeBron James in their meeting.
“I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful,” Reaves said. “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.”
