The Los Angeles Lakers currently have a 51-29 record. They hold the tiebreaker over the Houston Rockets and trail the Denver Nuggets by just one game for the No. 3 seed in the West.
Now with final seeds locking in this week, every game counts, and ahead of Friday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, head coach JJ Redick was brutally honest during his pregame press conference.
JJ Redick Acknowledges Rivals Are Gunning to Play Lakers in NBA Playoffs
When Redick was asked about rival teams potentially eyeing the Lakers in the playoffs, he kept it honest.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us,” Redick admitted. “Let’s get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us.”
At the same time, he pointed out that some West contenders have started resting their main players late in the season.
“There are probably teams in a position to start looking ahead to potential second-round matchups, and we’ve seen some of them rest their entire lineup basically. We can’t be concerned with that,” Redick added.
While Redick didn’t mention the Denver Nuggets specifically, they rested all five of their starters in Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, including NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokić (who needs to play in one more game to be eligible for the award). Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson sat out as well.
Nuggets head coach David Adelman said the decision was about protecting the health of his players with the playoffs just over a week away for Denver, but Redick clearly thinks it could be about a potential matchup versus the Lakers.
Redick has not dodged the reality of where the team stands heading into the postseason. Luka Dončić is currently sidelined with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and is in Europe, undergoing treatment to accelerate his recovery.
Then there is Austin Reaves, who is also out with a Grade 2 oblique injury.
It is clear to everyone that the Lakers are going into the playoffs short-handed, as neither player has a clear return timeline.
Redick acknowledged that teams across the West are aware of this, and some are clearly preparing for what they hope will be a favorable playoff matchup.
The Lakers are relying heavily on LeBron James, who, at 41, is still averaging 20.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Without Dončić or Reaves available to share the load in a seven-game series, the Lakers are vulnerable, and every team in the West knows it.
