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The Los Angeles Lakers head into Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Houston Rockets with key rotation questions, as head coach JJ Redick addressed lineup health, defensive execution, and travel strategy during a practice media session on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s matchup at the Toyota Center, Redick explained the decision to remain in place for practice before flying to Houston, emphasizing scheduling and recovery factors.
“Mostly time of day. We had a similar gap between games two and three, and I think we had a Friday-Sunday tilt in Minnesota last year, and we weren’t really able to do a lot when we got in because it’s a three-hour-plus flight to Minnesota, three-hour-plus flight to Houston,” Redick said. “So rather than just making this a travel day and not being on the court for two days in a row, this made a lot more sense.”
On the injury front, Redick provided an update on Jake LaRavia, noting optimism after evaluation results.
“He has a very, very low-grade, minor, minor, minor ankle sprain. The MRI was clean. He’ll be day to day,” Redick said. When asked to clarify, he added, “Yeah, day to day.”
Defensively, Redick highlighted the Lakers’ perimeter containment efforts, particularly against elite isolation threats.
“They’re doing a really good job of trying to make his initial catch further away from the basket,” Redick said of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. “They’ve done a really nice job of using their length and verticality to make things tough on him.”
When asked about defensive coverage structure, Redick kept the response direct. “That’s our coverage. I can’t really answer that question, but there are specific things we’re doing coverage-wise.”
Redick also evaluated the team’s defensive identity across the first two games of the series, pointing to adjustment cycles on both sides.
“They’re clearly trying to play faster. When we were in the half court, we were even better in game two than we were in game one,” he said. “Overall, we’ve done a good job of trying to execute our game plan.”
He added a possession-based metric reflecting progress. “We were minus 28 in scoring opportunities in Game 1 and minus 12 in Game 2. So there’s progress.”
Austin Reaves’ status remains a developing storyline, with Redick confirming continued on-court work. “The progression is going. He was on the court today.”
Redick also addressed balancing accountability and confidence in player development.
“Part of challenging players is you have to challenge them to do things that you know they can do, and by doing that, you naturally are telling them that you believe in their ability to do it,” he said.
On Ayton’s impact, Redick praised his consistency in a demanding role. “We love giving DA praise. We love him. When he does what we ask him to do, he should get all the praise in the world.”
He also highlighted Marcus Smart’s influence on the roster’s internal communication and stability. “Smart’s been great all season with all our group in general, but particularly with DA.”
With the series tied 1-1, Redick’s comments underline a Lakers approach built on defensive structure, lineup adaptability, and incremental possession control entering Game 3.
