LOS ANGELES – Lakers coach JJ Redick doesn’t know what seed his team will earn in the Western Conference playoff standings, with Nos. 3-5 all in play heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
But he knows Luka Doncic out with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Austin Reeves out with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain won’t deter his team.
In fact, Redick believes other teams in the West that have yet to be seeded would prefer LA as their first-round opponent.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play with us,” Redick said before the Lakers’ 101-73 win at home over the Phoenix Suns on Friday. “Let’s get it out, like, everyone wants to play with us.”
The Lakers (52-29) are No. 4 in the West — one game behind the No. 3 Denver Nuggets (53-28).
The Lakers hold the tiebreaker over Denver and the Houston Rockets (51–30) by virtue of winning their season series against both teams. Minnesota, ranked sixth, beat the 5th-seeded Rockets 136-132 on Friday in Houston.
Denver defeated the West’s No. 1 team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, 127-107 on Friday.
Although OKC has secured the No. 1 pick and rested 10 of its players, Denver also sat out seven players on Friday, including Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, although the Nuggets’ seeding is still undecided.
Without naming any teams, Redick seemed to hint at Denver’s lineup decision.
“(Teams) are in a position where they can look forward to potential second-round games as well,” Redick said. “We see some of those teams basically rest their entire lineup, so they – we can’t be all that concerned with that.
“Again, I’ll say the same thing I said to the team yesterday, what I said to you guys after the game, we’ve got to find the formula and the belief for this group to be successful. And so, that’s our focus for tonight, and that’s our focus on Sunday as well.”
LA concludes its schedule at home against the Utah Jazz (22-59).
