The Los Angeles Lakers left Sunday with their fifth victory, but JJ Redick finished the night reconsidering who he could trust to close a game. A comfortable cushion against Toronto shrank in the final minutes, forcing the coach to reverse his substitutions before Los Angeles secured a 131-125 win.
“So, I won’t make that mistake again,” Redick said, via Infanity TV. “I’ll leave the guys in. You got to play to the final buzzer, and if guys are not ready to play, then I just won’t put them in.”
Los Angeles moved to 5-2, but the finish brought a warning about future opportunities. Redick acknowledged his decision to remove the starters while making readiness a requirement for anyone entering behind them.
His frustration also extended beyond the closing sequence. Redick challenged players to take available perimeter shots, pointing to opportunities they passed up while Toronto sent extra defensive attention toward Luka Doncic.
Lakers’ late substitutions lead to an uncomfortable finish
Los Angeles held a 123-109 advantage with 1:43 remaining in the fourth. By then, Bronny James had replaced Doncic roughly a minute earlier.
Redick next replaced Austin Reaves, Matisse Thybulle, and Walker Kessler with Cameron Carr, Jaden Hardy, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Those three joined James and Quentin Grimes as the Lakers tried to finish without their starters, Yahoo reports.
Instead, ballhandling mistakes and unsuccessful foul shots gave Toronto an opening. The Raptors answered with an 11-2 stretch, cutting the deficit to five, 125-120, with 43.7 seconds on the clock.
That sequence sent Doncic, Reaves, Kessler, and Thybulle back onto the floor. Reaves had already handed his headband to a spectator, believing his night had ended. Before returning, he needed to retrieve it.
Redick pointed to ball security when explaining the breakdown. He described the difficulty of handling opponents who grab, trap, and foul during those situations, and said his players failed to protect possession.
“I mean, it started with the group that was on there, and then those other guys got put in a spot,” Redick said.
His explanation addressed the sequence across the substitutions. The coach also took responsibility for creating a situation he said he would avoid repeating.
Redick also warns Lakers about passing up open threes
Redick delivered another direct message about the offense: players need to shoot when Doncic creates an opening.
The coach wants more attempts from beyond the arc than Los Angeles took last season. Although the Lakers have improved in that area, he still sees possessions where players decline the shots the defense gives them, Fadeaway World reports.
“I think he’s doing a really good job of making plays when there’s two on the ball,” Redick said of Doncic.
He identified four second-half possessions in which players bypassed uncontested attempts from deep.
“I’ll take these guys out. You got to shoot the ball when you’re open,” Redick said.
Redick acknowledged that the group continues to adjust, but his comments established expectations for both situations. Players must capitalize on the openings Doncic produces and remain prepared when the coach calls their number late.
The Lakers ultimately protected the result against Toronto. Redick’s postgame response made clear that the victory did not settle his concerns about their execution.
Lakers’ JJ Redick Owns Late Mistake, Delivers Warning To Bench