The Los Angeles Lakers rolled into Monday evening driving a seven-game successful streak, trying each bit like a staff discovering its rhythm below JJ Redick.
Then the Phoenix Suns walked into Crypto.com Area and delivered a actuality examine.
Phoenix dominated from begin to end in a 125-108 win, snapping the Lakers’ streak and exposing points Redick didn’t hesitate to name out.
“Yeah, it’s quite simple,” Redick stated. [We] talked about it earlier than the sport to you guys and the staff. For those who don’t play arduous towards that staff, you’re gonna get uncovered. So, a number of occasions within the first half, we’ve got a numbers benefit in transition on the defensive finish and guys simply run by us. We talked about matching their physicality. [We] didn’t do this to any extent at any level within the sport.
“Perhaps there may be mind fog from three in 4 nights. I don’t know. I don’t keep in mind ever speaking about going below versus lasers and [Collin] Gillespie’s making threes and Royce O’Neale is making threes going up. It’s a bizarre type of factor. It truly is. It’s just like the ‘Monstars’ taking on individuals that you just’ve grown to educate they usually’re not doing something that they usually do. It’s bizarre.”
Fatigue may need performed an element, given it was the second evening of a back-to-back, however Redick made clear that drained legs don’t clarify the psychological breakdowns, turnovers, sluggish rotations, and repeatedly going below screens whereas Phoenix buried threes.
“Yeah, the basketball gods reward you they usually additionally punish you,” Redick continued. “So, the moments after we had an opportunity to be rewarded, we didn’t do what we have been presupposed to do, and we obtained punished. And that was all through the sport, not only a singular second.”
The Lakers dedicated 21 turnovers, main on to 32 Phoenix factors.
Luka Doncic was chargeable for 9 of these, and regardless of dropping 38 factors, he owned the errors and accepted the blame for the loss.
READ MORE: Austin Reaves Breaks Down Why His Match With Luka Doncic Works So Naturally
