EL SEGUNDO — The Lakers missed out on again earning the $500,000 plus reward for winning the NBA Cup – and the smaller monetary prizes for making the tournament’s knockout rounds this season.
But they received another much-needed reward in return: time.
Time to refresh their bodies and minds.
Time to spend 5½ days in Southern California, including four without playing a game and three before traveling on Thursday ahead of Friday’s road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
The Lakers were coming off a 13-day stretch from Nov. 26-Dec. 6 in which they played eight games – including six on the road – and no consecutive games in Los Angeles.
Coach JJ Redick gave the entire team Monday off and Tuesday was a voluntary “get what you need” day after Sunday night’s home win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“It’s super valuable,” guard Max Christie said of the time to recharge. “A lot of this game is mental. Even though there’s a lot of travel, it takes a mental toll on your brain when you’re traveling and you’re on the plane all the time. You’re in hotels. You’re not in your own bed. So it’s tough.
“But we’ve been at home for a few days now. The past few weeks has been the toughest stretch for us throughout the season.”
And time to tighten up their strategies after dropping seven of their previous 10 games, including the win over the Blazers that led into the mini-break in the schedule.
“Guys were gassed at the end,” first-year coach JJ Redick said about the team’s practice on Wednesday. “We haven’t had a practice like that in two months. We got a lot done defensively, trying to create just a little bit more clarity on some very nuanced things with the guys. We did that in small groups against coaches and live. And we worked also on some end-of-quarter, end-of-game stuff. Live. Simulated.”
The Lakers might have a key player return against the Timberwolves, but they remain without LeBron James.
Austin…
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