The NBA’s regular season is winding down, and that has left JJ Redick preparing his Los Angeles Lakers for the playoffs. But the Lakers coach is concerned that his team is not quite at the level he wants yet.
The Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors at home 123-116 on Thursday night. Luka Doncic had an off game and was disappointed with himself over the performance.
Redick spoke with the media after the game and said the team needs to build a playoff mentality and isn’t there yet.
“We’re still building it. We’re not there,” Redick said.
JJ Redick on the Lakers trying to build a “playoff mentality” ahead of the postseason: “We’re still building it. We’re not there.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 4, 2025
The loss made the Lakers 46-30, which put them a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets for third in the West and a game ahead of the Warriors. The Thunder have still dusted everyone in the conference and are 64-12, which is 14.5 games ahead of the second-place Houston Rockets.
The wild thing is how closely bunched up the Nos. 3-8 teams are in the West. Only 2.5 games separate the Nuggets at No. 3 from the Clippers at No. 8. Teams want to avoid the 7-10 spots because then they would have to compete in the play-in games to get into the playoffs.
The Lakers had been on a nice run from late January to early March, but they’re 6-9 over their last 15 games. They have a rough finish ahead that includes two games at OKC and one at home against Houston. They’re going to have to get playoff tough sooner than later.
