During the blowout win against the Golden State Warriors over the weekend, there seemed to be a disagreement between Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic and head coach JJ Redick on the bench, which has now gone viral, with everyone speculating about a potential beef brewing between the two.
Even though the Lakers crushed the Warriors, winning by 28 points and ending a three-game losing streak, frustration boiled over between the two.
NBA Insider Dave McMenamin Squashes Doncic-Redick Beef Rumors
On Tuesday, ahead of the Lakers taking on the visiting New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin went on NBA Today to address the speculation about a beef between Doncic and Redick.
“I checked into this with people around the league and within the team, and I’ll just tell you my reporting. A league source said when he saw the video, L.A. is different,” McMenamin said. “The smallest thing becomes the biggest thing.
“A source close to Luka told me that him and JJ have a strong, close relationship that dates back nearly a decade, and they’re both fiercely competitive and they push one another.”
Up to this point in their time together in Los Angeles, there’s been no tension or friction between the two, who, as McMenamin pointed out, have known each other for quite some time.
It makes perfect sense that emotions would run high between two incredibly passionate competitors while the team is struggling.
“A team source said, find me a star in the NBA that isn’t frustrated amidst a three-game losing streak,” McMenamin said. “And so it’s much ado about nothing, but hey, we know the internet likes to have their fun. In this case, if you have been around an NBA basketball team full of people who live for competition, sometimes it gets a little messy when they’re trying to go towards a common goal.”
Heading into Thursday’s game against Zion Williamson and company, the Lakers are riding a two-game winning streak after they dominated the Warriors and Sacramento Kings in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday.
It’ll be interesting to see if Doncic and or Redick get asked about this argument, which has now gone viral, after or before Thursday’s game against the Pelicans.
If the Lakers somehow lose to the lowly Pelicans, who have one of the worst records in the league right now at 19-43, tensions could rise for this Lakers team, but after back-to-back blowout wins, Los Angeles seems to be headed in the right direction with 22 regular-season games left on the schedule.
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