"Would love to" - JJ Redick keeps it 100% real on Lakers' playoff seeding goals after seemingly avoiding play-in

During the post-game interview following their 108-120 home win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, LA Lakers coach JJ Redick gave his take on the team's playoff-seeding goals. When asked about going after home-court advantage for the postseason, Redick said they would love to have that but also noted that their focus remains on the game in front of them.

"We would all love to have home-court advantage, it would be nice," JJ Redick said. "Our group has been awesome at home so far, but you gotta play the next game and you gotta win the game in front of you."

"I've just seen it too many times -- the basketball gods starting messing around with things. The basketball gods -- they will punish you."

Watch the segment at 4:22 here:

The LA Lakers (43-25) climbed to the third spot in the Western Conference after their win over the Denver Nuggets (44-26) on Monday. With 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are currently one game behind the Houston Rockets and have two matchups lined up against them for the second spot.

Although some may feel that the home-court advantage doesn't matter much, the Lakers have lost just seven home games this season compared to 18 away. They have also won their past nine games in a row at Crypto.com Arena and have fewer home losses than any NBA team besides the OKC Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers.

JJ Redick reacts to Luka Doncic’s performance in Lakers-Nuggets

In the absence of LeBron James, Luka Doncic led the LA Lakers to victory against the Denver Nuggets on Monday with 31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. Doncic dropped 21 of his points in the first quarter alone, as the Lakers set the tone with a 46-point frame.

In the post-game interview, Lakers coach JJ Redick shared his thoughts on the star guard's dominant start to the game.

"I don't know what it was exactly in Dallas, but I know he had a number of big first quarters for them," JJ Redick shared. "...This is kinda what he does and he has done throughout his career. We want him to be aggressive no matter what, but he's gonna play the right way."

JJ Redick has mostly kept Luka Doncic on the ball, allowing the five-time NBA All-Star to run the Lakers' offense at his pace. In the 15 games he's played with the Lakers so far, Doncic has averaged 26.2 points 8.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 40.0% from the field including 33.6% from deep.