Jake LaRavia’s 1-word answer for Lakers’ response after tough practice

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ brutal loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day, head coach JJ Redick was beyond frustrated when he vowed that the following practice was going to be an uncomfortable one. And after the message had been delivered at practice, it appeared to be received as the Lakers cruised to a 125-101 win against the Sacramento Kings. Following the win, Jake LaRavia summed up in one word what the Lakers’ response to their tough practice was.

“Energy,” LaRavia said. “The energy was really good, the vibes were good, everyone was positive after the meeting. We came out of the meeting in a positive way, and didn’t look at whatever criticism or whatever was said, we didn’t let that negatively affect us. We came out, we had a great practice, and hopefully this is the first of a mini-win streak.”

Jake LaRavia did his part to ensure the Lakers grabbed a win against the Kings, finishing with a solid stat line of 11 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 25 minutes. He shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, powering his way through Kings’ defense on multiple possessions to draw and-ones and complete the 3-point plays.

In a season that has seen multiple injury issues, LaRavia has been among the Lakers’ most durable players. He’s appeared in all 30 games to this point, including nine starts, at a little over 25 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 8.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 45.2 percent from the field.

After splitting his first three seasons in the NBA with the Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, LaRavia signed with the Lakers as a free agent in the offseason. Most of the things that Redick harped on during the Lakers’ losing streak, namely energy, effort and defense, are things that LaRavia brings to the table on a nightly basis. And the team as a whole brought those intangibles against the Kings.

“I just felt like this game was a real together game. I thought defensively, we all had each other’s backs. We had a couple of scramble plays where everyone was guarding everyone on the floor, and we were covering everyone,” LaRavia said. “When someone got beat, someone else was there. I just thought we looked really good as a team tonight on both sides of the ball. It was just a really good team win.”

The Lakers will look to start another win streak as they host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Pistons come into the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 24-8.

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