JJ Redick Fires Up the Lakers Locker Room After Game 3 OT Victory
Houston had the Los Angeles Lakers right where they wanted them. Up six with under 30 seconds left, the Rockets were seconds away from cutting the series deficit to 2-1. Then everything fell apart, and the Lakers walked out of Toyota Center with a 112-108 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead, all three without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Head coach JJ Redick addressed his team in the locker room after the win, and it was as honest as it gets from a coach after a game that nearly slipped away.
Redick opened by framing what the game was supposed to test. Before tip-off, he had talked to his team about "poison composure," staying mentally locked in when things get messy. Down six in the final 30 seconds, they found it.
"That was the ultimate test of our poison composure and you guys just kept playing."
JJ in the Lakers locker room:
- Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 25, 2026
"Then we go into overtime and it's not pretty. I made mistakes in overtime, we made a couple of game plan mistakes, we made a couple of coverage mistakes, we just kept playing...tonight took a lot out of all of us" pic.twitter.com/bcPttCes3o
Then he walked through the exact sequence that saved the Lakers, play by play.
"Smart, you get the steal, you get fouled on the three. Bron and Rui get the steal, Bron hits the three. And then we go into overtime, and it's not pretty."
JJ Redick Breaks Down Every Play That Saved the Lakers in Overtime
Overtime was not clean, and Redick was the first to say it. He owned his mistakes before pointing to anyone else's.
"I made mistakes in overtime. We made a couple game plan mistakes. We made a couple coverage mistakes. Rui, your offensive rebound, you end up getting a layup on that possession. Then Smart, you're coming in crashing, getting that layup."
Rui Hachimura finished with 22 points. Marcus Smart had 21 points, 10 assists and five steals. Then Redick turned to LeBron, who played 45 minutes and anchored the glass all night long.
"Bron with 13 defensive rebounds. Needed every one of them. Needed every one of them."
LeBron finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. The kind of line that wins playoff games, especially when you are doing it without two of your best players.
Redick closed with a clear message about what this group now has in front of them.
"We can close this thing out on Sunday. That's our mindset. Elevate your recovery. Do what's necessary. Tonight took a lot out of all of us. Be ready to go on Sunday. Great game."
The last time the Lakers held a 3-0 series lead in the playoffs was back in 2010, against the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals. That team went on to win the NBA title. This group now has a chance to take the next step toward doing the same.
Sign up to ourfree newsletterand follow us onYouTube,Facebook,X/TwitterandInstagramfor the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as JJ Redick Fires Up the Lakers Locker Room After Game 3 OT Victory.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 8:00 AM.