Overview
- Los Angeles fell 119-96 to Houston on Christmas Day, its sixth loss in ten games, to drop to 19-10.
- JJ Redick called his squad “a terrible basketball team,” questioned their professionalism, and warned, “The meeting is gonna be uncomfortable… I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
- The Rockets outrebounded the Lakers 48-25, grabbed 17 offensive boards, and scored 68 points in the paint as Los Angeles’ defensive rating slid to fifth worst at 118.1.
- Luka Doncic said “something needs to change” and accepted responsibility for effort, while commentators highlighted LeBron James’ minus-33 plus-minus as his worst with the Lakers.
- Austin Reaves exited with a sore left calf, and outside analysis urged rotation tweaks and even potential trades—possibly involving Reaves—to add athletic, defensive help.