JJ Redick comments on depleted Lakers: ‘Every team is eager to face us’
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is uncertain about the final seed his team will secure in the Western Conference playoff standings, with positions 3 to 5 still in contention as the regular season concludes.
However, he is aware that with Luka Doncic out due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Austin Reaves unavailable because of a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury, opponents are unlikely to feel intimidated by his squad.
Redick is convinced that the other Western Conference teams still vying for their playoff positions would prefer to face L.A. in the first round.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us,” Redick stated prior to the Lakers’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday. “Let’s make that clear, like, everybody wants to play us.”
The Lakers (51-29) entered Friday night ranked No. 4 in the West — one game behind the No. 3 Denver Nuggets (52-28); tied in record with the No. 5 Houston Rockets (51-29); and four games ahead of the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (47-33).
Los Angeles holds the tiebreaker over both Denver and Houston, having won their season series against each. Minnesota, which is secured in the No. 6 spot, faced the Rockets in Houston on Friday.
Denver was set to host the Western Conference’s top team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Friday.
Although OKC has secured the No. 1 seed and rested 10 players, Denver also opted to sit out seven players — including Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon — on Friday, despite the uncertainty surrounding their seeding.
While not directly referencing any teams, Redick appeared to hint at Denver’s decision regarding their lineup.
“[Teams] are in a position where they can start looking ahead to potential second-round matchups as well,” Redick remarked. “We see some of those teams resting their entire lineup basically, so we can’t be concerned with all of that.
“Again, I’ll reiterate what I told the team yesterday, what I mentioned to you all after the game, we need to determine the formula and the belief for this group to achieve success. That is our focus for tonight and will continue to be our focus on Sunday.”
L.A. will conclude their schedule at home against the Utah Jazz (21-59). Utah had entered their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday having lost 10 consecutive matches.
