Lakers Playoff Appeal Grows As Redick Says Injury-Hit Side Remains Desirable Opponent

The Los Angeles Lakers secured home-court advantage for the opening round of the NBA playoffs with a 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns, yet JJ Redick argued that rivals would still welcome a matchup with the team due to several major injuries that have reduced their overall threat.

LeBron James led the blowout victory with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, while Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura supported the performance, adding 19 and 13 points. The result lifted the Lakers to a 52-29 record, only one game behind the Denver Nuggets at 53-28, with Los Angeles owning the tiebreak.

The regular season will close with the Lakers hosting the Utah Jazz, while Denver face the San Antonio Spurs. If Los Angeles and San Antonio both win, the Lakers will leap to the number three seed and host the Minnesota Timberwolves. A Lakers and Nuggets sweep of their finales would lock Los Angeles into fourth.

That alternate scenario would send the Lakers into a first-round series against Houston, again with home court. Redick stressed that, whatever the bracket brings, the group already achieved an important target by securing a top-four seed in the Western Conference and ensuring that the opening series starts at Crypto.com Arena.

Despite that strong position, Redick gave a stark assessment of how opponents likely viewed Los Angeles entering the postseason. "I'm sure everybody wants to play us, Redick said. Let's get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us." The comments reflected the impact of lost scoring from injured players.

Redick then placed the season in a wider Lakers context, stressing standards around the organisation. "Every year I've ever been in the NBA, your goal is to win a championship, Redick said. That's your goal. When you represent the Lakers and you play for the Lakers and you coach the Lakers, that's their goal every year. That's our fans' goal every year. Let's not discredit what this group did for the regular season, regardless of what happens in the playoffs. Because to clinch home court and to win 52 games, possibly 53 games, deal with the amount of adversity we had.It's a credit to our players. It's a credit to our staff for just persevering and just keeping our head down and doing the work."

Redick’s comments came with both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves ruled out for the season through injury, leaving a major hole in scoring and creation. Those absences shaped how the coach viewed outside opinions about the Lakers and helped explain why Redick believed other teams would not fear this version.

Within the locker room, Kennard accepted that outside doubts were understandable, although the guard kept faith in the squad’s core strength. "I guess you understand why people are saying that. You're missing 60 points a game, and yeah, it's definitely out there, and I'm sure people are thinking about that and what we're missing. But we also have [LeBron James], and the way he's been playing and leading us has been incredible, and obviously, we're going to need him to continue to do that."

Los Angeles Lakers NBA playoffs push driven by LeBron James

James has carried a heavy workload during the final stretch. Across the last three games since Doncic and Reaves were sidelined, James has averaged 28 points on 60% shooting, including 46.2% from three-point range, alongside 12.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds, underlining the expanded role within the offence.

During the win over Phoenix, James reached another career milestone, becoming only the fourth NBA player to record 12,000 assists, a mark achieved in the first half. The 41-year-old posted 14 points in the opening quarter, then added six points and seven assists after the break while protecting a comfortable cushion.

James described a shift back toward an older role as the team adapted to the injury situation. "I had to tap back into a role that I'd been accustomed to in the past, but obviously, it wasn't what it was this year, James said. But circumstances have put me back in there. I'm just trying to feed off my team-mates, teammates are feeding off of me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat."

Across the season, the Lakers have dealt with line-up disruption yet still reached 52 wins, with a potential 53rd available against Utah. Their position entering the NBA playoffs reflects James’ influence, solid home-court security and Redick’s consistent message that the franchise’s expectations remain focused on competing for a championship every year.