The Big Lead

JJ Redick triggered into profane 'spazz out' in Lakers victory over Timberwolves

The first-year head coach angrily reacted to a lull in L.A.'s play by launching into a profane rant.

By Joe Lago

Mar 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts after a technical foul during the fourth quarter of a game against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts after a technical foul during the fourth quarter of a game against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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JJ Redick's first playoff victory as an NBA head coach will be remembered for the way his Los Angeles Lakers bounced back with a 94-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to even the first-round series at 1-1.

It will also be remembered for the way Redick angrily reacted to a lull in the Lakers' play by launching into a profanity-laden rant.

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After L.A. had its 15-point halftime lead trimmed to 62-51 with 7:40 left in the third quarter, Redick called a timeout and stormed onto the court to pose a question to his players. "What the f--- you guys doing?" he screamed.

The Lakers broadcast picked up some of the expletives uttered by Redick. Of course, his tirade was captured on video and shared on social media.

In his postgame press conference, Redick explained why he was so exasperated. "Not frustration. Just coaching," he said.

"I think when we were organized in the right spots we ran some good stuff. And frankly, I thought we missed some open 3s. AR (Austin Reaves) got some great looks," Redick added. "So other than just a couple of disorganized plays, we played good offense tonight.

"(But) as a coach, you can see it coming when the other side of that is on the horizon, and it was building. And (I) just wanted to make sure everybody was on the same page."

Redick believes he's only gotten that mad "a handful of times" this season.

"It's not something that I want to do. It's something I'm more than comfortable doing," he said. "But I think tonight is just more about getting that urgency button switch back on."

The Lakers got the message. They answered with a 9-0 run to push their lead to 70-51. L.A. owned an 81-65 advantage after three periods and held off a Minnesota surge in the fourth quarter.

"We know JJ is gonna spaz out from time to time," LeBron James said. "That's JJ. At this point for us, we need to listen to the message and not how he's delivering it."

"You have to be able to understand it's not about how he's saying it, but what he's saying," he added. "And I thought we responded after that."

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