As they look to lock up the best seed possible ahead of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers have a tough test ahead of them as they square off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on both Sunday and Tuesday.
The Thunder have the best record in the NBA at 64-13 and their +13.1 point differential is currently the best mark in league history. Even though they are young and lack some experience, the Thunder have no holes on their roster and are the runaway favorite to come out of the West this postseason.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has naturally been watching film on the Thunder ahead of Sunday’s matchup and has liked what he’s seen.
“Mark (Daigneault) is one of, if not the best coach in the NBA. I mean, he’s that good, and he’s been that good for a number of years. I’m glad that their team and their program, people are realizing how good that organization is and what they’ve built. And I watch them a lot. They’re really hard to score on,” Redick said.
“They have a number of high-level defenders. I mean, you just go down the line, and it’s like we were watching pregame today. Lu Dort is disrupting multiple plays, and then he gets subbed out, and they bring in Alex Caruso. Jalen Williams has been awesome. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is obviously disruptive. Cason Wallace, I think, for probably every coaching staff around the NBA, is a favorite. They just have a number of guys that can really defend at a high level.”
If the Lakers are going to come out of the Western Conference, they will almost surely have to go through this Thunder team. That makes this week a good test for Redick’s team on top of the standings implications that come with these final few regular season games.
JJ Redick on goals for Lakers to finish out the regular season
The Lakers have five regular season games remaining and they are against tough opponents in the Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. JJ Redick discussed his goals for the team during this stretch as they get ready for the postseason.
“I think it’s more spiritual than anything else, than results,” he said. “We’re going to have three massive tests, come home, have another massive test, and then play a really tough Portland team. So if our spirit is right, I can live with the results. And I’m pretty confident that the results will be more good than bad.”
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