Lakers prep for Game 4 on verge of playoff elimination
EL SEGUNDO - When JJ Redick was an analyst at ESPN, in his short post-playing stint as a from-the-court perspective on the NBA, he heard the same word over and over again during production meetings. It's why, Redick said, he believes when you coach or play for the Lakers, your back is always up against the wall.
"I worked at ESPN for three years," Redick said. "I know what makes the machine work. There's the ‘L word,' every production meeting. How can we fit this in?"
Redick continued to speak Sunday afternoon at what might have been their final practice of the season, as the Lakers prepared to try and stave off elimination on Monday night in Game 4 of their best-of-seven second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Being on the Lakers, you feel like your back's against the wall every game," he said. "So I think the whole season has prepared us to be in a position where we're in the second round of the Western Conference and being in the mix with a great basketball team."
The Lakers, on the verge of elimination in a 3-0 series hole, weren't expected to get this far given their late-season injuries.
They battled through the first round to get past the Houston Rockets in six games, fighting off the Rockets after dropping Games 4 and 5 after taking a 3-0 series lead. Forward Rui Hachimura said he's using their first-round series victory as fuel, imagining what life was like two weeks ago when the Rockets fell behind the Lakers in what has been an insurmountable deficit in NBA history.
"I thought about how Houston was thinking; we were up 3-0 and they came back, (and) literally they almost got us, It's crazy," said Hachimura, who has been one of the Lakers' few bright spots by shooting 57.1% from 3-point range while averaging 18.3 points per game against the Thunder. "But I think that's the mentality we need. It's one (game) at a time, you know. I think especially with this – this type of team, you know, they – you can't really make mistakes."
After losing Game 3 by 23 points despite holding a halftime lead for the second straight game, Redick shared that even with rotational adjustments – swapping Adou Thiero and Maxi Kleber in for Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt – the results remained largely the same against the defending champions.
When asked on Sunday if he had ever had the "what-if" thoughts about how this series might have unfolded if star Luka Doncic (who has missed the past 16 games with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain) was available, Redick dismissed the question with a quick response.
"Never," he said.
Well aware that no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, Redick said he returned to his messaging from the start of training camp. The first slide on the presentation he gave to the 2025-26 Lakers, simply stated to "win the day." On Sunday, that meant a mindset check, along with offensive review and defensive preparation for Game 4.
When the Lakers tip off on Monday night, it will mean a literal must-win the day. The total domination the Lakers have faced against the Thunder hasn't changed Redick's viewpoint on his team, their fight back from the early-April injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves to extend their season.
"Not at all," he said. "… I wish we weren't in this hole. We're going to try to be better and we're going to try and win the game tomorrow and extend the series."
NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND, GAME 4
Who: Thunder at Lakers (down 3-0)
When: Monday, 7:30 PT
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: Prime/710 AM, 980 AM
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 2:47 PM.