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At times it was almost easy to forget Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were sitting on the Los Angeles Lakers bench Tuesday, April 21.
The Lakers did it again, beating the Houston Rockets, 101-94, and taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series with their two top scorers sidelined with injuries.
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LeBron James was the brute. Luke Kennard was the sharpshooter. And Marcus Smart the emotional leader, welcoming floor burns, throwing his 6-3 body at 6-11 Kevin Durant, doing whatever was necessary.
Smart’s impact was easy to discern. What was impossible to witness is a conversation Lakers coach JJ Redick said he had with Smart.
Redick brought it up after the game. He said the conversation took place earlier this month. After the Lakers lost three straight games, including two shellackings against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’m not going to share (with) you the details,” Redick said during a postgame press conference at Crypto.com Arena, “but the biggest thing was just, because he has the voice he has, he can help create the belief and the confidence in our group. And I think he’s done that.”
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Said Smart, “I think I was living for this moment.”
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
Moondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
Moondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
A member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team performs during a time out during the second half of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
Cleveland Brows player Myles Garrett riles up the crowd during the first half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lakers-coach-jj-redick-cites-113740622.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-22 11:37:00
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