Overview
- Houston beat Los Angeles 119-96 on Christmas Day, handing the Lakers a third straight loss and dropping them to 19-10.
- Luka Doncic said something needs to change after the defeat, calling for honest internal conversations.
- Head coach JJ Redick labeled the performance terrible and said a coming team meeting will be uncomfortable.
- The Lakers rank 25th in defensive rating at 118.1, which has climbed to 126.6 over the three-game skid, with poor defensive rebounding and transition numbers also cited.
- Turnovers reached 16, with nine by Doncic and LeBron James, and Austin Reaves left with a sore left calf and did not return.