The Los Angeles Lakers pulled out an impressive road win on Saturday night, besting the Denver Nuggets 123–100 to tighten the race for third place in the Western Conference.
The victory offered plenty of promise for the new-look Lakers, with Luka Doncic, acquired at the deadline, going off for 32 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in his best game since being traded to Los Angeles.
After the win, head coach JJ Redick offered some fiery words for his team in the locker room.
“This morning we talked about going to war. Be willing to die on the court,” Redick began. “I was so amped today. I should’ve been able to take a nap. I couldn’t sleep last night.”
Redick went on to describe how the Lakers exceeded his highest expectations for the game, and shouted out all of the players that contributed to containing Nuggets’ superstar big Nikola Jokic.
Redick wasn’t lying about not being able to sleep—he told reporters during his press conference that he had essentially pulled multiple all-nighters to prepare for the Lakers’ game against the Nuggets.
Clearly, that preparation paid off, as L.A. was able to snap Denver’s nine-game winning streak and push one step closer to securing a top seed in the Western Conference as the postseason approaches.
