Lakers coach rips players for ‘unacceptable’ behavior with rarely seen decision

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s unusual for an NBA coach to willingly use their first timeout in the opening minute of a game.

But that’s exactly what Lakers coach JJ Redick did during his short-handed team’s 124-98 blowout loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night at Chase Center after an “insane” start to the game, as Redick put it.

It didn’t take long for Lakers head coach JJ Redick to call his first timeout. Getty Images

Even within the context of the Lakers being without a significant part of the roster that’s expected to be in their rotation come Opening Night against the Warriors in two weeks.

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The Lakers started Tuesday’s against the Warriors with an offensive possession that nearly used up the entire 24-second shot clock before Sandro Mamukelashvili drove into the paint and turned the ball over, sparking a Warriors fastbreak that ended with Brandin Podziemski knocking down a 3-pointer off a second-chance opportunity.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick wanted to hold his short-handed team accountable to their standards. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

By the Lakers’ next possession, Redick had already seen enough.

After just a couple of passes after his team got the ball back, the Lakers coach got up from his seat on the team’s bence to signal for a timeout 52 seconds into the game.

“When you draw up a first play, and then give them a second play that is a play we’ve scripted for ten days, or whatever it’s been, and they don’t run either correctly, that’s unacceptable,” Redick said. “You’re not ready to play. That got us off to a poor start.”

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The Lakers’ poor start spiraled into a bad first half.

The Warriors jumped out a 45-31 lead at the end of the opening quarter, and led 81-53 entering halftime.

“The way we started that game was insane,” Redick said. “I don’t know the reasons why, because this group has been awesome for the two months I’ve been around them. The first half was unacceptable.”

JJ Redick thought the Lakers had an “insane” start to the loss to the Warriors. Getty Images

Redick made sure his players knew his feeling during halftime.

“I feel like being out there already, we kind of already know that we had to…

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Publish date : 2026-10-07 15:45:00

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