Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn't hold back in his assessment of his team's performance in their disappointing 111-108 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
The Lakers played without three key players, the most important of which was LeBron James who sustained a groin injury during their previous showdown against the Boston Celtics.
Redick, however, didn't want to use their injury woes as an excuse for the defeat. He then went on to highlight what really doomed them in the game, pointing out to their "very low-level communication" during the contest.
The first-year Lakers coach also noted that his team tried to "take shortcuts," which proved costly.
The Lakers had twice as many turnovers (15) as the Nets (seven) in the game. While L.A. led by as many as 15 points, the team simply couldn't hold on to their lead and eventually fell.
"I don't think being shorthanded is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight," Redick shared, per Spectrum SportsNet. "I think it was just an overall mentality to take shortcuts tonight, we just wanted to take shortcuts."
"They scored 20 points on us gambling. They had 16 offensive rebounds and we ball-watched all night. We said no dare shots, I don't even wanna go through it, they probably made six or seven uncontested 3s. Just shortcuts."
Redick emphasized that the Lakers didn't do the "hard stuff" in the game and "couldn't even pass to each other." Nonetheless, he did commit to "clean things up and make sure everybody's one on the same page."
"Very low-level communication game for our team… I don't think being short-handed is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight."
JJ Redick speaks with @LakersReporter and the media after tonight's loss in Brooklyn. Get closer to the action on Spectrum SportsNet+ with the… pic.twitter.com/xs3etpZuVT
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 11, 2025
Luka Doncic had 22 points, but he shot 8-of-26 from the field and committed five turnovers. Gabe Vincent led the Lakers in scoring with 24, but it wasn't enough to counter a Nets squad that got plenty of contributions from its second unit. Brooklyn outscored L.A. in bench points, 48-26.
It remains to be seen how the Lakers will address their problems amid a potentially lengthy absence for LeBron James. The team returns to action on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Related: LeBron James Bracing for Punishment After Lakers-Celtics
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This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 8:04 PM.