Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick delivered mostly good news regarding the health of his backcourt stars, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, as the team prepares for its second game of the NBA season against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers began the season with a 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors, a game overshadowed by concerns over Doncic and Reaves, who both finished with apparent injuries. Doncic raised alarms after needing extra treatment on his right hip post-game, while Reaves suffered an ankle tweak. Against this backdrop, coach JJ Redick addressed the status of both players after Thursday’s practice.
“Luka was a full participant, Austin was a modified participant,” Redick told reporters, via ClutchPoints. “He [Austin] kind of tweaked his ankle. Yesterday was no live so he was able to do everything. Today he did everything but live. It’s not really a thing where I can say he’s going to be out a couple games or he’s going to play tomorrow. It’s simple, literally how he feels tomorrow. I know Austin, I’m gonna expect him to play”.
Losing either player would be a massive setback for the Lakers, who are already relying heavily on the duo with LeBron James sidelined due to sciatica. James is expected to miss three to four weeks, potentially sidelining him until mid-November.
Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry during the NBA season opener. (Getty Images)
Despite the loss, both Doncic and Reaves put up elite performances to shoulder the scoring load: Doncic finished with a stellar 43 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while Reaves added 26 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
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Redick rips persistent third-quarter woes
Beyond the injuries, Redick focused his post-game criticism on a persistent, structural problem: the team’s abysmal third-quarter performance. The Lakers entered halftime trailing the Warriors by only one point but saw their deficit balloon to 11 points by the end of the third period. Redick pointed out this trend has plagued the team since last season, carrying through the preseason.
“We continue to be a terrible third-quarter team,” Redick said. “That was last year. That was the preseason. We have to rethink some things. It is a two-way thing with the guys. They need to be ready to play after halftime”.
Reaves echoed his coach’s frustration, putting the responsibility squarely on the players to correct the flaw. “Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve had a problem with third quarters. We just have to figure out a way to come out with more energy. JJ has already talked about it. That’s on us players, not the coaches. They give us the answers, but we didn’t execute,” he told reporters.
