Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

J.J. Redick's Irate Locker Room Speech Recalled by Austin Reaves After Lakers' Win Over Grizzlies

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 10:20 AM ET

Key Points:

J.J. Redick was irate after a rough second quarter
His Lakers responded with a strong second half
Austin Reaves recalled the moment "vividly" afterward

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 117-112 on Friday night as Morant was held to just eight points in 31 minutes of action.

The Grizzlies dropped 42 points in the second quarter causing Lakers coach J.J. Redick to go into the locker room with frustrations and anger on his mind.

Redick's irate, angry speech was recalled by Lakers star guard/forward Austin Reaves after the game as he "vividly" detailed what went down prior to the Lakers' furious second half comeback.

Oct 31, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick talks with guard Austin Reaves (15) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Reaves Recalls Redick Speech

Reaves recalled Redick's speech after the Lakers' win.

"He came in here, I remember it very vividly, he came in here and was like, as he was pretty much, he started off calm and then he started off yellin' but his words were, I'm not gonna come in here yellin' at y'all, but I want to," Reaves said.

"He said that calm but then he proceeded after that to, not yell but, it wasn't a regular voice, ya know what I mean, he raised it a little bit," Reaves said, painting the picture of a boiling hot Lakers coach who held back his anger in front of his team.

The Lakers responded, outscoring Memphis 34-22 in the third quarter and 28-21 in the fourth quarter on their way to their fourth win in six games.

Lakers Welcome Miami Heat on Sunday

The Lakers are now 4-2 on the season near the top of a supremely talented Western Conference that will require a Herculean effort to win this season.

The Lakers will welcome the 3-2 Miami Heat to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday at 9:30 p.m., an opportunity for Los Angeles to continue their pursuit of the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and streaking San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers shot a blistering 51.3% from the field and had 24 assists compared to 13 turnovers on Friday against the Grizzlies, a testament to Redick, Reaves and Luka Doncic's offensive genius.

The Lakers aren't going to be most people's choice for a trip to the NBA Finals this year, but Redick is growing into his role as the team's leader and Reaves is becoming one on the court under the Lakers coach's tutelage.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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