Lakers Facing Tough Schedule, Coach Sees Opportunity

JJ Redick believes Lakers can capitalize on upcoming games against top teams

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled against quality competition this season, but coach JJ Redick sees their upcoming tough schedule as an opportunity. The Lakers are 4-12 against teams with a .600 or better winning percentage, but they recently beat the New York Knicks, one of the East's top teams. Now the Lakers face a tough stretch of games against the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Rockets and Pistons. Redick is confident the team will find a way to win some of those games and potentially vault into third place in the Western Conference standings.

Why it matters

The Lakers' ability to beat top teams will be crucial to their playoff hopes. While they have done well against weaker opponents, their record against the league's best has been a concern. This upcoming stretch represents a chance for the Lakers to prove they can compete with the conference's elite and improve their playoff positioning.

The details

The Lakers recently beat the New York Knicks, one of the Eastern Conference's top teams, by playing aggressive and effective defense. The Knicks shot just 42.7% overall and 23.5% from 3-point range while committing 19 turnovers. This was an encouraging sign for the Lakers, who have struggled to win games against quality competition, going just 4-12 against teams with a .600 or better winning percentage so far this season.

  • The Lakers' tough stretch of games will take place over the next 15 days.
  • They will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons during this period.

The players

JJ Redick

The head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers who believes the team's upcoming tough schedule represents an opportunity for them to prove they can compete with the league's elite teams.

Los Angeles Lakers

An NBA team that has struggled against quality competition this season, going just 4-12 against teams with a .600 or better winning percentage.

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What they’re saying

“The good news for us is that we have a lot of opportunities over the next 10 games or whatever it is to win some of those games. I do think that the game last night was important because that was a game that we've broken throughout the year, the games like that. And they made a number of runs that went to double digits and we just kept playing and had a chance, one-possession game with a minute to go. Again, I'm confident we're gonna find it. How we're gonna find it, that's where you gotta figure it out on a daily basis sometimes.”

— JJ Redick, Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers Nation)

What’s next

If the Lakers can perform well during this tough stretch of games, they could potentially vault into third place in the Western Conference standings.

The takeaway

The Lakers' ability to beat top teams will be crucial to their playoff hopes this season. While they have done well against weaker opponents, their record against the league's best has been a concern. This upcoming stretch represents a chance for the Lakers to prove they can compete with the conference's elite and improve their playoff positioning.