(Video) JJ Redick Goes Nuclear After Lakers Embarrassing Defeat to Rockets

Los Angeles Lakers JJ Redick was absolutely livid after their loss to the Houston Rockets.

(Video) JJ Redick Goes Nuclear After Lakers Embarrassing Defeat to Rockets

JJ Redick went nuclear after defeat (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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After suffering two consecutive losses for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign, JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers have lost their third game in a row. It was a blowout win for the Houston Rockets as they took out the Lakers 119-96 in their first meeting of the season at the Crypto.com Arena on Christmas Day. The Lakers were never really in the game as they were down by 12 at the end of the first quarter and never really recovered from there.

Despite the loss, the Lakers remain ahead of the Rockets by only 0.5 games and are currently placed at fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 19-10 record. The Rockets sit at sixth in the standings with an 18-10 record and are 2.5 games ahead of seventh-placed Phoenix Suns, who continue to fight for a direct playoff qualification.

Luka Doncic returned to action after missing their last game due to injury and scored 25 points to go along with five rebounds and seven assists. Austin Reaves scored 12 points in just 15 minutes as an injury forced him to an early exit, while LeBron James scored 18 on Thursday night.

For the Rockets, it was Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson who put on a show as they scored 25 and 26 points, respectively, while Alperen Sengun recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Rockets out-rebounded the Lakers by 48-25, highlighting the lack of energy in defense for the ‘Purple and Gold’.

Defense has been an Achilles heel for the Lakers throughout the season as they have struggled against young and athletic teams which has been one of the reasons why the Lakers are not seen as title contenders in the West. But their impressive record 30 games into the season masks their weaknesses. Lakers Head coach JJ Redick was left very unhappy with his team’s performance in the press conference.

The two words of the day were effort and execution. When we haven’t done both of those things at a high level, we’re a terrible basketball team. And tonight, we were a terrible basketball team.

The Lakers take on the Sacramento Kings at home on Sunday, and Redick will be hoping for a strong performance from his team to put an end to the three-match losing streak.

Fans react to JJ Redick’s strong words for his team in the press conference

Following the blowout loss, fans were also left dissatisfied with the Lakers’ performance and expressed their opinions after Redick’s press conference. Here are some of the reactions:

Luka Doncic believes the Lakers need a change

Christmas Day did not go according to plan for the Lakers, but it could serve as a wake-up call for the players who were clearly lacking energy since tip-off. It is an issue that has been persistent since the season began, but the recent losses have exposed their deficiencies.

Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic (Image credits – BBC)

Doncic agreed with Redick and publicly called for a change in the post-match press conference.

I don’t know what has to change, but definitely something needs to change. We got to figure out, that’s the thing we have [to do]. Everybody got to talk about it. I know JJ said it’s going to be uncomfortable. As [it] should be.

It appears that the Lakers’ star player has taken accountability and is aware of the team’s shortcomings, echoing Redick’s words. This loss may be the turning point for the Lakers from here on.

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