Lakers’ JJ Redick Issues Harsh Reality Check Following Blowout Defeat to Jazz
Lakers’ JJ Redick Issues Harsh Reality Check Following Blowout Defeat to Jazz
Lakers’ JJ Redick slaps players with reality check after lopsided loss to Jazz The Los Angeles Lakers had been rolling over the past few weeks, and with Luka Doncic’s arrival via trade, there was no reason to expect the Purple and Gold to slow down in any capacity. On Wednesday night, their momentum was expected to continue as they took on the Utah Jazz once again in a rematch of their Tuesday night clash that the Lakers won handily, 132-113. Alas, the Lakers did not give a good account of themselves in this rematch, floundering en route to a 131-119 loss.
The game may have been on the road, but this is still a contest that the Lakers should expect to win comfortably. After all, the Jazz are one of the worst teams in the association, and given their trajectory prior to the game, this was a game that they should have taken care of. But this was not to be, as according to JJ Redick, some Lakers players may have thought that getting the win “might be easy” after they won the first three meetings of the season, as per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
There was an uncharacteristic lethargy that plagued the Lakers on Wednesday; their paint defense, in particular, was as close to non-existent as it can get, and this showed just how big of a weakness it can be for them after trading Anthony Davis away and seeing their trade for Mark Williams fall through.
The Jazz also managed to slow down the Lakers defense by playing a zone defense, preventing the team’s elite ballhandlers from doing damage and forcing LA to hoist up three-pointers. This game could be an interesting film study for teams looking to stop the Lakers in their tracks amid their renewed hopes of winning a championship following the Doncic trade.
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The Lakers have been playing so well over the past few weeks that it was hard to imagine them tripping on a banana peel against the Jazz of all teams. But the Lakers were without two important rotation players in Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith, while Jaxson Hayes had to exit early due to a facial contusion.
Not having Vincent and Finney-Smith was a big deal; both set the tone for the team on defense, and as a result of their absence, the likes of Isaiah Collier and Jordan Clarkson were having a field day on the perimeter. This performance, however, is more of an outlier for the Lakers and is not something that should persist once the games resume after the All-Star break.
