JJ Redick’s first year running the show in L.A. had plenty of doubters, but Saturday’s win in Denver sent a loud message. The Lakers didn’t treat this like just another road game—Redick and his staff made sure of that. Unlike previous seasons, where urgency sometimes felt optional, this time, they came in locked and ready.

And it showed. The Lakers rolled into Denver and ran the Nuggets off their own floor, cruising to a 123-100 victory. More than just another tally in the win column, this shook up the battle for the West’s third seed and gave the Lakers some serious momentum. This victory got Stephen A. Smith, who has had some fiery takes, apologizing.

SAS admitted he underestimated L.A. and gave them their flowers on NBA Countdown on ESPN. “I was shocked. Let me be the first to apologize to the Los Angeles Lakers. I did not see them being capable of that,” Smith said. “I got news for y’all, the Lakers, and NBA best for this 14 or 15 since January 15th. The Denver Nuggets came into the game on a winning streak, averaging 128 points, got held to 100, so they got to play defense as well.”

Smith also emphasized how rare this kind of win was for L.A. against Denver in recent years. But one of his boldest takes? Giving JJ Redick serious credit for turning things around.

“JJ Redick is a candidate for Coach of the Year. He is just doing a hell of a job, and Big Perk enlightened me about how brilliant they are offensively compared to what they were last year. Defensively, not so much, but that wasn’t the case last night. If that Los Angeles Laker team shows up in the postseason, look the hell out. And I’m not gonna be mad about having to be in Southern California.” he added.

Well, join the club SAS! The Lakers did prove everyone wrong. The Nuggets have eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs consecutively for the last 2 seasons. So this was a statement victory. Actually, the real statement was made by the 40-year-old coach after the victory. Safe to say, the man knows how to fire up a locker room.

“Pregame, I’m laying on the floor doing my breathing exercises, I’m envisioning what our team is gonna play like,” Redick told his squad. “And you guys went even higher … And frankly, our conviction and our belief in the game plan … Everybody that was on Jokic tonight was awesome tonight.”

You can feel the energy in that speech. Redick isn’t just drawing up plays—he’s setting the tone. Because he just made it clear who’ll spearhead the offense.

JJ Redick makes it clear, the Lakers belong to Luka Doncic now

When the Lakers pulled off the trade for Luka Doncic, it shook up the NBA. But let’s be honest—everyone wondered how he’d fit next to LeBron James. Two ball-dominant stars on the same team? That’s not always a smooth ride.

At first, things were shaky. Doncic struggled to get into a rhythm. But in the Feb. 22 win over the Nuggets, he finally looked like the superstar LA traded for. After the game, head coach Redick explained how he wanted the offense to function.

“I think Luka needs to be the guy that controls the offense,” Redick said. “LeBron and [Austin Reaves], because we’re going to stagger everybody, they’re going to have their times being on the ball.”

“All three of those guys are very intelligent basketball players, and we can create mismatches,” Redick added. LeBron still dropped 25 points, but his five assists were unusually low. That could be a sign he’s shifting to more of an off-ball role. With Doncic leading the offense, the Lakers might have found their formula for a deep playoff push.