The Los Angeles Lakers finally dropped their first game of the series against the Houston Rockets, a blowout Game 4 loss that came on the heels of their thrilling Game 3 overtime victory.
The Lakers had been playing good basketball up until Game 4 where the team severely struggled with getting into their offensive sets and knocking down shots. Fatigue was obviously a factor as Los Angeles’ roster across the board lacked the same intensity and sharpness they displayed earlier in the series but it’s still no excuse to get beaten so badly.
Head coach JJ Redick hasn’t had too many answers for Houston’s increased pressure on his ball-handlers but believes taking care of the basketball should still be a priority.
“This is a top 10 defense the entire season,” Redick said of the Rockets. “It’s obviously very challenging without your two leading scorers to generate offense. We’ll take a look at the process again on that end as well and I know our points per shot and our expected points per shot were slightly below our season average. For me, it goes back to our keys of take care of the ball and we’ll look at how we can be better from there.”
Redick also admitted that the biggest challenge the Lakers currently face without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves is general ball-handling and the ability to drive downhill into the painted area.
“I think that’s the biggest challenge we have, just ball-handling and downhill drivers, not having those guys,” the head coach added.
Doncic and Reaves were two of the best on-ball scorers and playmakers during the 2025-26 season as Redick made them the focal points of his system. Without them, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard have had to step up in their place and while they’ve been serviceable, they don’t possess the same talent that Doncic and Reaves do.
The Lakers had 23 turnovers in Game 4, which obviously isn’t a recipe for success for this team.
As of now, Reaves appears to be trending toward playing as soon as Game 5 while Doncic remains without a timetable. Assuming Reaves can return soon, it would be a massive boost to Los Angeles’ offense as they need someone besides LeBron James to create for the rest of the team.
LeBron James blames Lakers’ Game 4 loss on turnovers
James has been doing his best to carry the Lakers against the Rockets, but Game 4 finally showed him slowing down a bit. James was unusually loose with the basketball as he committed eight turnovers and he acknowledged that Los Angeles lost because of their carelessness.
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