The Los Angeles Lakers are feeling good after evening their first-round NBA playoff series with the Orlando Magic. JJ Redick's team picked up a well-deserved 94-85 victory over the Magic in Tuesday night's Game 2 action, leaving time to tell if the Lakers can fully take control of the series as it shifts to the Sunshine State.
Although momentum is back on their side, the Lakers' effort has been far from perfect so far. There are several areas Los Angeles must improve in to advance to the next round, including a glaring issue that head coach JJ Redick highlighted on Thursday afternoon.
JJ Redick Wants Lakers to Improve Offensively After Game 2
During Thursday's media scrum, Redick told reporters that he isn't thrilled about the Lakers' offensive performance so far.
"The tape showed we weren't very good offensively," Redick admitted, according to the L.A. Times' Dan Woike. The Lakers head coach made sure to highlight that he wants to see "more 'thrust' and 'pace'" in his players' efforts going forward.
"The tape showed we weren't very good offensively," Redick said. Said the Lakers need to find ways to create more "thrust" and "pace."
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 24, 2025
Most Lakers fans agree that a team boasting the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves should be averaging more than 94.5 points through the first two playoff games.
Even though Los Angeles failed to break the 100-point mark in both games, the Game 2 effort was much worse than the first. The Lakers shot an uninspiring 45.3% from the floor and 20.7% from three-point range on Tuesday night, and the outcome likely would've gone differently had the Timberwolves' efficiency not been slightly worse (38.0 FG%, 20.0 3P%).
It didn't help that the Lakers' point totals declined in each quarter, beginning with 34 points in the first and finishing with only 13 in the final frame. In fact, they were outscored 42-36 by the Magic in the second half, further illustrating the bullet that was dodged despite L.A.'s anemic attack.
Each of the Lakers' 'Big 3' left fans wanting more in Game 2. Although James, Doncic, and Reaves racked up 68 points together, the trio only shot a combined 24-of-53 (45.3%) from the field and 3-of-19 (15.8%) from deep, which won't be good enough if Los Angeles advances and faces stiffer competition in the next round (s).
The Magic are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, so it was likely that the Lakers were always going to run into offensive challenges. Having said that, basketball's best teams find ways to overcome those obstacles, leaving Redick & Co. to prove if they deserve to be treated as contenders or pretenders going forward.
The good news is that oddsmakers' faith in Los Angeles hasn't wavered despite any offensive woes. The Lakers are currently holding the fourth-best 2025 NBA Finals odds (+2000) on FanDuel Sportsbook as the postseason's opening round continues.
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