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Summary:
- The Lakers built an early 15-point lead but struggled with communication and execution, leading to their second straight loss.
- Luka Dončić posted a triple-double (22-12-12) but shot inefficiently.
- Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and Jordan Goodwin stepped up, but the Lakers now face a grueling stretch of games without LeBron James.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick was not looking for any excuses following his team’s 111-108 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Despite missing key players, including LeBron James, Redick was visibly frustrated with the effort and execution displayed by those who were available after winning 6 matches on the bounce.
Redick: “I Think it Was a Very Low-Level Communication Game”
I think it was a very low-level communication game for our team. I don’t think being short-handed is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight
LeBron James, who was sidelined with a strained left groin sustained in Saturday’s game against Boston, was joined on the injury list by starters Jaxson Hayes (knee) and Rui Hachimura (knee), as well as crucial reserve Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle).
Even so, the Lakers managed to take control early, leading by as many as 15 points and holding Brooklyn to just 16 points in the first quarter on 31.6% shooting.
However, their defensive intensity and offensive cohesion quickly unraveled.
I think it was just an overall mentality just to take shortcuts tonight. Want to be a good team? You want to win in the NBA? You got to do the hard stuff. We couldn’t even pass to each other. We couldn’t enter our offense, running ball screens literally at half court. Yeah, that’s going to end up in a turnover. I don’t know what we’re doing.
Dončić: “That’s My Fault”
Luka Dončić, who recorded his second triple-double as a Laker with 22 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds, shouldered the blame for the team’s lack of communication.
When JJ said [that] about communication today, that was important. That’s my fault and we should have done better at that.
Despite Dončić’s strong stat line, he struggled with efficiency, shooting just 8-for-26 from the field and committing five turnovers.
Brooklyn’s defensive schemes gave him trouble all night.
Reeves: “I Just Thought I Played Incredibly Bad”
Austin Reaves, another key playmaker with James out, nearly had a triple-double himself (17 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) but shot a dismal 3-for-14.
I just thought I played incredibly bad. It’s frustrating not helping your team win. When Bron’s out, I got to be better and I wasn’t. That’s one of the reasons we lost.
On the bright side, Gabe Vincent stepped up with a season-high 24 points, rookie Dalton Knecht added 19, and Jordan Goodwin contributed 17 off the bench, hitting five of six three-pointers. Doncic acknowledged their efforts but emphasized consistency moving forward.
Doncic said
I think I should have helped more. But they all played great. We got to have the same mentality moving forward.
The defeat signaled the Lakers’ second straight defeat, leaving them just a half-game ahead of Memphis for third in the Western Conference.
With James expected to miss 1-2 weeks, the road ahead is daunting, including a grueling stretch of six games in eight days.
Redick plans to squeeze in a rare practice before facing Milwaukee and Denver in a tough back-to-back set.
Reaves emphasized
Everybody’s got to buy in to helping the team be successful. And like I’ve said two or three times already, I’ve got to be better. I mean, we’ll start there with me. I got to be better.
