The Lakers needed a win in Game 2, but what started as a 22-point cushion quickly turned into an unraveling sequence in the third quarter that left coach JJ Redick fuming. That boiling frustration came to a head during a chaotic out-of-bounds play, as Luka Doncic prepared to inbound the ball for the Timberwolves and the Lakers players struggled to find their spots on the floor and Redick didn’t hold back.
“Time out. What the f* is going on. Time out. Jesus f***ng Christ, the f*** are you guys doing. Come on!**” Redick shouted from the sideline, in a moment caught on national broadcast and quickly circulated online.
The Lakers, who had jumped out to a commanding lead early in the game, were seeing their grip loosen as Minnesota chipped away, cutting the deficit in half in just the first four minutes of the third quarter.
Players seemed disorganized, hesitating in transition and missing cues in the half-court sets. Redick‘s timeout and emphatic message were more than warranted-he saw the momentum shifting and knew he had to act quickly.
Redick’s passionate message lit a fire
After Redick‘s heated huddle, the Lakers regrouped, locked in, and responded with a surge of their own. They went on a run to re-establish control, stretching their lead back to 20 points before the fourth quarter began.
From there, they never looked back, finishing the night with a 94-85 victory to even the series 1-1 before it shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.
When asked about the timeout and his outburst during post-game interviews, Redick framed it more as a coaching necessity than a frustration-fueled meltdown.
“Not frustration, just coaching. I think when we were organized in the right spots, we ran some good stuff. And frankly, I thought we missed some open 3s. AR [Austin Reaves] got some great looks … So I mean, other than just a couple, you know, disorganized plays, you know, we played good offense tonight” he said.
The Lakers only managed 94 points in the game and made just six 3-pointers, struggling to convert from long range. But their defense stepped up in a major way, keeping the Timberwolves under 90 points and forcing several turnovers during key stretches.
Read the full article here
