The Los Angeles Lakers had one of their best performances of their 2026-27 season so far against the Toronto Raptors. They went up by as much as 26 points and led by 16 points in the final two minutes of the game. This prompted Lakers head coach JJ Redick to clear out his bench to see out the game.
Unfortunately, the bench unit did not live up to expectations, as they almost blew the lead. This led to Redick sending Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, and Matisse Thybulle back in to see out the game and get the 131-125 win.
JJ Redick admits he is disappointed by the Lakers’ bench after almost blowing the game
It is normal for coaches to send in their bench players to see out a game, especially when they have a lead as big as 16 points. However, what the Lakers’ bench players showed against the Raptors was a bad sign, which is why Redick is putting his foot down.
He does not like what happened in the game against the Raptors, especially since he wanted to rest his starters. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Redick had to send the starters back in because he wanted to secure the win rather than give up the massive lead in just a couple of minutes.
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Thankfully for Redick and the Lakers, the starters were stable enough to get the result. It was a big win for the Lakers, but it does show some bad signs if the mediocre bench performances continue, which could have a long-term effect on the players and the coaching staff’s approach to games.
“I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll leave the guys in. You got to play to the final buzzer,” Redick said about sending his bench in after getting a 16-point lead.
It will be a big lesson for the Lakers moving forward, not only for Redick, but also for the players. When they are playing with a massive lead late into the game, the players must learn how to deal with the pressure and close out the win. It should never be stepping off the gas, they just need to balance their aggression with some semblance of control to get the win without any issue.
