The Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2025-26 regular season with a 119-109 defeat to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco on Oct. 5, and head coach JJ Redick said a familiar problem resurfaced immediately after halftime.
Golden State outscored Los Angeles 19-4 to start the third quarter, pushing the lead to as many as 17 points. Redick called the sluggish stretch part of a lingering pattern.
“The trend I see is that we continue to be a terrible third-quarter team to start,” Redick said postgame. “That was last year, that was the preseason. We’ve got to rethink some things, and it’s a two-way thing with the guys. What do they need at halftime to make sure they’re ready to play? They’re not ready to play to start the third quarter.”
Turnovers and Defensive Lapses Hurt
Los Angeles committed 19 turnovers that led to 24 Warriors points. Redick pointed to several breakdowns, including a back-cut layup by Stephen Curry, a slip-screen dunk from Gary Payton II, and a failed switch on a small-small pick-and-roll that resulted in another layup.
“It’s mostly self-inflicted,” Redick said. “If you look at this game, we did enough good things to put ourselves in a position to win for most of the game. And when we didn’t do those things, they were self-inflicted.”
Despite the miscues, the coach praised his team’s overall discipline against several Warriors sets, noting that outside of a handful of third-quarter possessions, the defensive execution was “pretty good.”
Doncic Downplays Late Groin Twinge
Luka Doncic delivered what Redick described as an “outstanding” individual performance, though specific statistics were not immediately available. The All-Star guard was seen limping in the closing minutes with what appeared to be a groin issue, but he dismissed concerns afterward.
“It’s probably nothing,” Doncic said. “I just felt it a little bit because my hip went the opposite way, but it’s probably nothing.”
The Lakers return to action later this week looking to address their third-quarter woes and reduce turnovers as they continue the four-game road trip.
Source: Lakers Nation
