Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick heaped praise on the "incredible" LeBron James after his team responded to their crushing defeat to the Chicago Bulls. 

Josh Giddey scored a half-court buzzer-beater for the Bulls against the Lakers on Thursday, but Los Angeles bounced back with a 134-127 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. 

They were led by their star trio of James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who combined for 85 points, 18 rebounds, 27 assists and six steals.

After the loss against the Bulls, Redick called a meeting with James, Doncic and Reaves to discuss the Lakers' recent slump, and they responded to their coach's demands emphatically.

"We challenged all three of them, when we got to their three-man actions, to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity," Redick said. 

But Redick showered particular praise on James, who scored 25 with eight assists and six rebounds - his most points since returning from a two-week injury absence. 

"He was an incredible leader tonight," Redick said of James. "And it was early. It was throughout the game.

"When we got down, I challenged the group in a timeout, and he was as vocal as he's been since he got back from injury.

"And that galvanised the group. I think if he doesn't say what he said in the timeout, we probably don't win the game."

Final Stats

AR: 31 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl
Luka: 29 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast
Bron: 25 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl
Gabe: 15 pts. 2 reb
Rui: 13 pts, 3 reb
Dorian: 11 pts, 5 reb pic.twitter.com/zOwbRVal4M

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 30, 2025

Redick checked in with all of his players after they were dealt an eighth defeat in their previous 12 games in Chicago last time out.

"I'm not surprised at how hard we played and how well we played tonight," Redick said.

"I made sure the group knew that I believed still, and that the coaching staff believed and they were resolute in their belief in this team."

The win kept the Lakers (45-29) fourth in the Western Conference, taking a one-game lead over Memphis and earning the tiebreaker by winning the season series.

Los Angeles' remaining eight regular-season games are against West opponents, starting with three home games against Houston, Golden State and New Orleans this week.