The Los Angeles Lakers won their seventh straight game on Monday night and looked every bit like a team finding its rhythm under JJ Redick.
Then the Phoenix Suns walked into Crypto.com Arena and got a reality check.
The Suns won 125-108 from start to finish, ending the Lakers’ winning streak and exposing a problem that Redick didn’t hesitate to point out.
“Yeah, it’s pretty simple,” Redick said. [We] This issue was discussed with you and the team before the game. If you don’t work hard against that team, you’re going to be exposed. So, many times in the first half, we had the numbers advantage in transition defensively and guys were just running over us. We talked about matching their physical attributes. [We] This was not done at any point in the game.
“Maybe three-quarters of the night with brain fog. I don’t know. I don’t remember ever talking about that versus laser, [Collin] Gillespie hit a three-pointer and Royce O’Neal hit a three-pointer. This is a very strange thing. Indeed. It’s like a “superstar” takes over the person you’re training, but they’re not doing anything they normally do. This is very strange. “
Considering it was the second night of a back-to-back, fatigue may have played a role, but Redick made it clear that tired legs didn’t explain the Suns’ mental breakdown, turnovers, slow rotations and repeated situations on screens when they made 3-pointers.
“Yes, the gods of basketball reward you and they punish you,” Redick continued. “So, when we had the opportunity to get rewarded moments, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do and we were punished. That was throughout the entire game, not just a single moment.”
The Lakers made 21 turnovers and directly led Phoenix by 32 points.
Luka Doncic was responsible for nine of those turnovers, and although he gave up 38 points, he acknowledged his mistakes and accepted responsibility for the loss.
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