The Lakers seek relief in return for the court, but the Spurs offer little consolation

On January 14, 2025By Littum

Most of the time, NBA teams do what they can to combat distractions. On Monday, the Lakers couldn’t have been more excited to have one.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis had to evacuate their homes. JJ Redick lost his. The rebuilding hasn’t even begun, yet another round of wind keeps red-shaded shards of the city on edge.

But Redick, one of the most public faces of those fires, knew this would be a chance to think about something else, however temporary.

“I think a group works best when you draw strength from each other. And the way that my players, my staff, the organization has supported, rallied around me – rallied around the city, obviously – loved my family, there’s real strength in that. And that is the kind of reception of strength. So it’s our job to give strength, and give hope and give joy,” Redick said pregame. “Sports are many things, and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction, and hopefully sports, and tonight, can also provide some joy.”

Through that lens, it was all a success — fans pumped by the moments James and Davis tried to solve Victor Wembanyama’s 7-foot-3 frame after fires postponed the Lakers’ last two games.

The distraction from the outside world, the game itself, however, again exposed some of the Lakers’ problems inside the basketball, a team that again attacked them with more physicality and toughness, the Spurs deflated the crowd and rose to a 126-102 winThe Lakers’ third loss in a row.

Davis and James combined for 48 on 20-of-29 shooting, but the Lakers’ supporting cast struggled. Austin Reaves was hit by the Spurs’ offense after they pulled Davis away from the rim. They pushed and pushed through Rui Hachimura and Max Christie.

And the Lakers offered some fight in return.

The loss came with their offense unraveling in the fourth quarter as the team scored just 13 points.

Trouble came late in the third though, the Lakers up by 10 points before San Antonio beat them to 10 straight points without Redick or the bench calling a timeout.

In addition to their first game back after the wildfire postponements, the Lakers went ahead with a planned celebration of their past.

At halftime, the team eliminated Michael Cooper’s no. 21, the culminating performance of Cooper’s career earned him a spot in the 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame class.

Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Byron Scott and Pat Riley were among the former Lakers on hand for the ceremony.

Cooper had been part of some of their festivities; this was his turn.

Michael Cooper, center, is bullied by former teammates.

“I’ve always tried to play the game the right way. And it’s such a good feeling that people recognize that,” Cooper said. “Even though I’ve always been on a team with a lot of megastars, so sometimes I got in the shadow, but it didn’t bother me because it was about the work we put together and winning championships. So for me to come to the plate and step up here and be on the podium alone with everyone watching is a lot , a lot good. Because again, like I said, this came out of nowhere.”

That celebration was one of the last few feel-good moments of the night. But it was not the last.

As the Lakers players walked off the court out of breath, Redick walked to midcourt, where Wembanyama and Chris Paul gave Redick’s sons, Knox and Kai, their jerseys. The children lost a number of precious pieces of memorabilia in the Palisades fire.

It was a reminder that Monday, back to basketball, was still rocky. But at least it was back to something.