JJ Redick repeats the same key words after every loss: effort and execution. The Lakers found none of either at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday in a 119-96 loss to the Houston Rockets that played out with a plot as familiar as a Hallmark holiday movie.

Getting outhustled by a team that simply played harder with more energy, the Lakers (19-10) dropped their third consecutive game. It’s their longest losing streak of the season and left the team questioning its identity.

“I don't know what has to change,” said guard Luka Doncic, who led the Lakers with 25 points and seven assists, but had six turnovers. “But definitely something needs to change.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

Vibes are bad

When the Lakers were climbing up the Western Conference standings, improbably winning games with LeBron James and Luka Doncic injured and celebrating Austin Reaves’ 51-point performance and ascent into stardom, the vibes were high. Players jumped off the bench to cheer for each other. They championed team bonding exercises such as slideshow presentations that introduced themselves to each other and a field trip to a Porsche driving experience. It all felt surprisingly easy, especially for a team that had several new additions.

“We had it,” Redick said wistfully Thursday. “We had it. I always say this about culture, I always say this about a good team being a functioning organism.”

Redick snapped his fingers.

“It can change like that,” he continued. “We don’t have it right now.”

Read more:Lakers lose Austin Reaves, then get called out by JJ Redick after loss to Rockets

All three of the Lakers’ most recent losses have been blowouts. With an average margin of defeat of 20.7 points, their total point differential has dropped to minus-15 on the season, which ranks 16th in the NBA.

Forward Jake LaRavia said in the locker room that there felt like a “disconnect” on the team, but couldn’t verbalize more about how things had turned so suddenly. The team’s seven-game winning streak at the end of November feels like a distant memory, although it should serve as a constant reminder of how a team shouldn’t let its guard down, especially when it was just collecting wins off teams with losing records.

“This [has] kind of been the trending thing even when we were winning,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “Obviously wins kinda shadow a lot of stuff. But it's been the same pretty much all year of how we finished games, lose games: transition defense, rebounding and stuff like that. It's been a trend all year."

LeBron James, who played in his 13th game this season after missing the first 14 games because of sciatica, had 18 points and five assists and declined to speak with reporters after the game, along with Marcus Smart (six points, two rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (zero points, two assists).

To further exasperate the lingering injury bug, Reaves left the game after the first half because of left calf soreness. It was the same calf that sidelined him for three games last week.

Jarred Vanderbilt shooting for larger role

Vanderbilt was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. His energy off the bench in the second quarter, especially when playing with Smart, who fought through a right shoulder injury, helped the Lakers force four turnovers in a five-minute stretch. Vanderbilt’s three-pointer with 4:16 remaining in the second that trimmed the lead to four was one of the few moments that made the mostly apathetic holiday crowd roar.

Vanderbilt’s offensive deficiencies were the primary reason he fell out of the rotation for 10 games, but since returning to the lineup regularly against Phoenix on Dec. 14, Vanderbilt has made seven of 13 three-pointers in five games, including three for four on Thursday. It was his first game as a Laker with three made threes.

Outside of LaRavia, who stayed on the court after both teams had otherwise emptied the bench, Vanderbilt was the only Laker who had a positive plus-minus. The Lakers outscored the Rockets by five in Vanderbilt’s 26 minutes and 23 seconds on the floor.

“I feel like I try to come in the game and bring that energy and hoping guys could feed off it,” Vanderbilt said. “But we need to play [like] that for 48 minutes. … We just got to dig deep and want to do it.”

Lakers get buried on the boards

The Rockets (18-10) are not just the NBA’s best rebounding team, but they could be the best in a generation. The team’s 55.6% rebounding rate is the best in the NBA on record since at least the 1996-97 season.

Houston’s dominance on the boards was at the top of Redick’s mind before the game when he estimated the Rockets were the best rebounding team since the 1994-95 Mavericks. He emphasized the importance of gang rebounding against a team known for its physically imposing double-big lineup and athletic wings.

Read more:Amid injury 'chaos' for Lakers, LeBron James is starting to look like his old self

Then the Rockets grabbed two offensive rebounds in their first two possessions. The Rockets outrebounded the Lakers 48-25, the Lakers’ largest rebounding deficit since Nov. 8, 2023, which was also against Houston. Houston had 17 offensive rebounds, only one fewer than the Lakers’ defensive rebounding total, and with 12 rebounds, center Alpren Sengun matched the Lakers’ entire starting lineup on the boards.

“Everybody gotta give better effort,” Doncic said, “starting with me.”

Doncic had five rebounds, tied with Vanderbilt for the team lead. Center Deandre Ayton had just two boards and 10 points in 36 minutes and 17 seconds. It was the 7-footer’s lowet rebounding total of the season.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Steph Curry heaps praise on ‘true hooper' Cooper Flagg after Warriors-Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry already is familiar with Cooper Flagg, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick attended Curry’s camp as a top high school prospect.

But Thursday night was the first time the Warriors superstar played against Flagg in an NBA game during Golden State’s 126-116 win over Flagg’s Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day at Chase Center.

And it’s safe to say Curry was impressed.

“Just a true hooper,” Curry said of Flagg in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “Competitor. You forget how young he is. Just his presence out there on the court. The future is bright. I’m glad he got this experience, his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like.

“The league is in good hands.”

Wow. That’s certainly high praise for a rookie from one of the best to ever play the game.

Flagg finished Thursday’s contest with a game-high 27 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and 1 of 3 from 3-point range, with six rebounds, five assists and one block in 36 minutes.

In 31 games so far this season, Flagg is averaging 19.4 points on nearly 50 percent shooting, with 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

There certainly still is plenty to learn for the 19-year-old rookie, but playing against some of the best to ever do it will only help him maneuver the highs and lows of a rookie season.

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Klay Thompson drops funny quip about Steph wearing his shoes in Warriors-Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Sneaker free agent Steph Curry had fun with his choice of shoes for Thursday’s game against his former Splash Bro and the Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors superstar rocked Klay Thompson’s KT11 shoes during Golden State’s 126-116 win over Dallas on Christmas Day at Chase Center.

After the game, Thompson expressed his gratitude to Curry for showing him some love through his kicks.

“It was great,” he said (h/t The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis). “Really cool. Wish he didn’t get a win in them, but it was awesome. Respect.”

Thompson is as intense a competitor as anyone, so it’s no surprise that while he appreciated Curry’s gesture, the loss was all that was on his mind postgame.

Curry and Thompson were Warriors teammates for 13 seasons, and together, alongside Draymond Green, they helped bring a new era of winning basketball back to the Bay with four NBA championships during a dynastic run.

Thompson departed Golden State in the 2024 offseason for a fresh start in Dallas.

In Thursday’s game, Thompson finished with just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point range in his return to the Bay.

Meanwhile, Curry, in Thompson’s kicks, had 23 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and just 2 of 10 from distance.

While the Splash Bros now are on different paths in their respective NBA careers, nothing will ever erase the success and memories they made side by side.

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Nikola Jokic recorded a 56-point triple-double and broke a record set by Steph Curry as the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 142-138 on Christmas Day.

The Serb hit 56 points, recorded 16 rebounds and 15 assists - becoming the first player in NBA history to hit at least 55 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a triple-double.

Three-time MVP Jokic hit 18 of his 56 points in overtime, breaking Curry's record of 17 overtime points from 2016.

The Timberwolves took the game in Denver to overtime after clawing back a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes of the game.

Anthony Edwards top-scored for the Timberwolves with 44 points, including the game-tying three that took the game to overtime.

But the 24-year-old was ejected in the extra period for arguing over foul calls as the Nuggets clamed the win.

The Nuggets are third in the Western Conference, with the Timberwolves in fifth.

• NBA Christmas Day results

By Adam King, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports

The early-fantasy-basketball-season shenanigans are now behind us, and our focus shifts to solidifying rosters and narrowing our categorical needs. Injuries continue to be a narrative that no one likes to see, yet one that presents players with unexpected opportunities. As always, the waiver wire is the place to be, providing managers with bargain players who could be about to ascend in the fantasy basketball rankings. And remember, never assume a player is rostered. It always pays to double-check, just in case they have been overlooked.

Identifying players who are benefiting from expanded roles — whether it's an offensive threat delivering points and 3s or a defensive-minded player boosting your blocks and steals — is vital as you navigate the season.

Let's dive into nine key NBA sleepers whose current stats suggest they are poised for significant value and are currently rostered in fewer than 40% of Yahoo leagues.

Yahoo High Score Leagues

Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns (33% rostered)

For whatever reason, Gillespie continues to be under-rostered across all formats, including High Score leagues. He typically provides adequate production on both ends of the floor, while also playing starter-level minutes. In three games over the past week, Gillespie has averaged 41.3 fantasy points per game, on the back of 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.7 steals.

Healthy Al Horford immediately unlocks new element for Warriors in return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Everything the Warriors imagined when they pinpointed Al Horford as a main offseason target in NBA free agency came together in a Christmas culmination for the 39-year-old who missed the previous seven games over the last three weeks.

The ability to stretch the floor as a center who’s a legitimate 3-point threat came back to life immediately upon Horford’s return in a 126-116 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. So did his basketball smarts in Year 19, his rebounding, being a difference maker defensively and imprinting his impact in multiple ways. This was what made the Warriors sink even further into trusting experience instead of Father Time’s worries.

Horford, in only 11 minutes off the bench, scored a season-high 14 points and had four rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

His coaches and teammates after the win spoke to what a healthy Horford does for them.

“It’s the vision of what he would add to our team from the jump,” Steph Curry said. “I know that he’s battled a lot of injuries and absences and he’s trying to, personally, I’m sure, find a rhythm. That availability is huge. 

“But it’s why he is who he is. Why he’s had the career that he’s had and why he’s such a coveted big man, because what he can do.” 

The Warriors took off shortly after Horford entered his first game since Dec. 4. They were ahead 18-15 when he came in with five and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter. He played the rest of the quarter and the Warriors were then up by 12 points going into the second. Golden State scored 22 points the rest of the first quarter with Horford, and he scored 12 of them. 

All from behind the 3-point line, fitting right into the Warriors’ plans from months ago. 

Horford’s first two threes pushed the Warriors’ lead from two to five on catch-and-shoot opportunities. The third he made gave the Warriors a nine-point lead off a perfect pick-and-pop with Jimmy Butler. And the fourth came with some old-school flair in the final seconds. 

Each of Horford’s last three 3-pointers was assisted by Butler. 

“Got Al (Horford) back, big gator,” Butler said. 

“Definitely spreads the floor, challenges shots at the rim, high-IQ type player,” he continued. “Then he’s just really, really fun to play with. As long as you’re out there having fun, being joyful, ball’s moving, you’re guarding, you’re competing, that’s who he is, that’s who he’s always been.”

Butler and Horford’s games really click. They go together and make sense whenever they share the floor. For seven-plus minutes, Butler and Horford were part of a lineup alongside De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Will Richard that outscored the Mavs 26-17. 

There was a sequence in that span where Horford pivoted from guarding a driving Caleb Martin to picking his pass off in the paint and taking it down the court before dishing a bounce pass for Butler to take off two feet for a two-handed jam. 

In a 10-point win, Curry believes Horford’s stretch of making four threes in three minutes and 43 seconds changed the game.

“That run that they had basically won us the game at the end of the first quarter, start of the second,” Curry said. “That was the difference in giving us a little bit of separation where we could also have that cushion the rest of the game.” 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr indicated during his pregame press conference that he wasn’t sure if Horford was even going to play despite finally being medically cleared and having gone through practices and scrimmages. Kerr wants to keep building continuity after landing on a starting lineup that includes 7-foot center Quinten Post. Trayce Jackson-Davis also has come on strong and re-entered the center rotation. 

Kerr even admitted after the win that he couldn’t have predicted Horford would look as good as he did. He and Horford talked before the game and Kerr told him he really didn’t know when he’d go in the game because of wanting to keep Jackson-Davis’ rotation.

Well, he was able to accomplish both. Kerr went to Horford at the 5:27 mark of the first quarter, replacing Moses Moody and keeping Jackson-Davis in the game. Always the smaller team, the Warriors all of a sudden had two 6-foot-9 centers on the floor, one who can get busy from downtown and another who throws down dunks.

“That’s a big lineup. Two-big lineup today,” Melton noted.

Jackson-Davis’ first dunk was off a screen for Curry at the top of the arc one possession before Horford made his first three. The two played with each other for a little more than two minutes on a night where they combined for 24 points, with Horford hitting four threes and Jackson-Davis being a threat at the rim, where he had three dunks, a cutting finger roll and a tip-in. 

“We can be more active on defense, honestly,” Melton also said. “Having those bigs out there, and with Al, especially the way he came back and was ready to shoot – we love it. We’ve been missing it. [Shooting from 3-point range] 4-for-6 is definitely something that we need. And also defensively, it allows us to sometimes grab rebounds and let Trayce run the floor and get all our wins out in transition, too. Al being out there and having more size allows us to finish possessions off.” 

It’s not just that Horford missed the Warriors’ last seven games. It’s that he had only played in two since playing four straight games in six days five and a half weeks ago from Nov. 12 through the 18th. It’s that he isn’t playing both games of a back-to-back and the start of the schedule was full of them, which has been one of many factors why Horford has found trouble in getting his rhythm. 

Really, it’s that Horford in his first 13 games couldn’t buy a bucket if he won the Powerball and was shooting 32.1 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent on threes while looking his age more often than not. 

As celebrated and displayed on Christmas, the story now can be a reminder of who Horford still can be when healthy. If he can maintain that health and build some rhythm, a new element of the Warriors is unlocked. The sizable one they dreamt of this past summer.

“We have a rotation, we’re healthy,” Kerr said. “Getting Al back today was huge. The way he shot it the first half, just creating that separation. Our centers are all playing well. I think QP, it’s funny because QP has not shot the ball well but he’s played really, really well defensively. To have Trayce Jackson-Davis out there doing the same, defending, blocking shots, and then to have Al … suddenly we have a pretty solid front line, should we choose to go big.”

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At halftime in Minnesota on Tuesday night, Knicks head coach Mike Brown lit into Tyler Kolek. The coach watched Kolek miss seven of his 10 shots in the first half and he wasn’t happy about it.

“You’ve taken 10 shots, the second most on the team, only made three; three or four of those shots were airballs,” the coach said. “If you want to take that many f------ shots, you gotta make (them).”

Kolek didn’t wilt from the criticism. He embraced it, going 6-for-12 in the second half of the Knicks’ loss.

At one point in the second half, he knocked down a three-pointer that led to a Timberwolves timeout. Walking over to the bench, Kolek looked Brown in the eye and delivered a message.

“I’m gonna knock that m---------er down,” he said to his coach.

Kolek carried that confidence with him back to New York. He entered the fourth quarter of a nationally televised game with the Knicks down 12 and 7:42 to play.

Five minutes and three Kolek three-pointers later, the Garden crowd was engaged in long, loud ‘Ty-ler Kol-ek’ chants.

Every fan in the building seemed to be stunned watching the Kolek show.

His teammates weren’t surprised though.

“It’s a testament to his mental strength, his mental fortitude and the work that he puts in,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.

Kolek’s 11 points in the fourth quarter were pivotal in the Knicks coming back from 17 down with 10:26 to play.

What you saw on Christmas Day was consistent with how Kolek has been playing of late.

He entered Christmas Day averaging nine points, five rebounds and five assists in his previous five regular season games. Those numbers don’t include Kolek’s 14-point, five-rebound, five-assist night in the NBA Cup title game against San Antonio.

You wonder how this run from Kolek will impact the Knicks’ approach at the trade deadline. Based on his recent playing time, logic tells you that Guerschon Yabusele is a candidate to be moved. The Knicks have also had interest in backup guards like New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado – an NYC native.

But does Kolek’s recent surge change how they view the backup point guard position? Does it make the team less inclined to spend assets on a backup guard? We’ll find out answers to those questions over the next six weeks or so. Right now, sit back and enjoy the Tyler Kolek show.

TOUGH TEAM

Kolek and the Knicks showed remarkable resilience and fortitude against Cleveland on Christmas Day. They trailed by 15 points with six minutes to go in the first quarter. They were down 17 with 10:26 to play.

The Christmas comeback featured strong play from all rotation players, but it doesn’t happen at all without Jordan Clarkson. 

The veteran had 25 points off the bench, hitting five three-pointers on 10 attempts. Kolek (16 points, nine assists) and Mitchell Robinson had four huge offensive rebounds in a three minute span of the fourth quarter. He assisted on two threes off of offensive rebounds in that stretch, which saw the Knicks cut Cleveland’s lead from 13 to three.

Josh Hart had challenged the bench after the Minnesota game to play aggressively. They obviously responded well on Thursday.

“Our group is extremely, extremely connected,” Brown said after the Christmas Day comeback. “Everybody believes in each other no matter who is out on the floor. When you feel that type of belief from your teammates, from your peers, the sky’s the limit.”

HART CONCERN

Hart exited the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. It’s rare to see Hart leave a game due to injury. The Knicks had no update on Hart after Thursday’s game. Losing Hart for any period of time would be difficult for New York. The club is already playing without Miles McBride (ankle) and Landry Shamet (shoulder).

The Lakers felt good about their starting lineup Thursday when Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura returned from injury to restore their normal starting unit for only the seventh time this season.

But the good times didn't last long. Coming out of halftime down 10 points to the Houston Rockets, the Lakers announced Austin Reaves wouldn't play in the second half because of left calf soreness.

With another apparent setback for Reaves adding to the Lakers' desperate search for continuity, the team put up another inconsistent performance on defense in a 119-96 loss to the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena.

Read more:Austin Reaves' return can't save Lakers from dismal defensive effort in loss to Suns

The Lakers, who've lost three in a row for the first time this season, allowed the Rockets to shoot 53% from the field. Amen Thompson led the way with 26 points and Kevin Durant scored 25 as the Rockets out-rebounded the Lakers 48-25.

Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before returning against Phoenix on Tuesday. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers’ loss to the Suns.

Against the Rockets, Reaves started and played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 12 points on five-for-eight shooting.

Reaves entered Thursday averaging 27.3 points per game, ranking him 11th in league scoring.

Doncic, who had been out with a lower left leg contusion, had 25 points and seven assists and LeBron James had 18 points. Hachimura (right groin injury management) didn’t score in his 28 minutes.

With so many players rotating through the lineup because of injuries, the Lakers have struggled to find solutions to their defensive issues.

They entered Thursday allowing 117.4 points per game, 19th most in the league. They were allowing the 26th highest field-goal percentage (48.4) and the highest three-point shooting percentage (40.1). They were next-to-last in rebounds, averaging 40.1 per game.

That was a real issue against the Rockets team that entered the game first in offensive rebounds (16.1).

And in this game, the Rockets got 17 offensive rebounds.

The Lakers didn’t have key role players Jaxson Hayes (left ankle soreness) and Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain), adding to their woes.

“It’s the modern NBA where there’s injuries and then there’s not a lot of time to practice," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "So, when you have continuity, you can kind of capture what you’re trying to do and you feel comfortable and good about it."

Read more:Jalen Brunson leads Knicks past Bucks in Christmas Day opener

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.