Sports Adam Wells January 16, 2025
Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Pictures
Sooner than the Los Angeles Lakers play the Miami Warmth on Wednesday evening, head coach JJ Redick was once restful fuming over their defensive performance earlier this week in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Redick known as the Lakers’ crew protection “corrupt” in their 126-102 loss to the Spurs on Monday at some stage in his pregame press convention Wednesday.
Daniel Starkand @DStarkand Earn to grunt JJ Redick was once not contented with the Lakers’ protection against the Spurs: pic.twitter.com/vazbeGxAVv
Redick namely identified how the Lakers “left each guy” for the Spurs on an island with no person shifting and no-one in the paint to forestall easy buckets.
The vital half stats weren’t big, however nothing that would trigger any dread. They allowed the Spurs to attain 53 functions on 46.5 percent taking pictures.
Things fell apart for the Lakers in the 2nd half after they were outscored 73-40. Many of the considerations came in the closing 16 minutes because Los Angeles in actuality led 84-74 after a Max Christie three with 3:57 closing in the third.
San Antonio closed the sport on a 52-18 flee from that time on. Even though Dorian Finney-Smith was once obtained by the Lakers from the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 29 for his defensive versatility, he’s restful getting acclimated to his recent environment.
Defense has been a scenario for the Lakers all season. They harmful twentieth in functions allowed per sport and twenty 2nd in defensive ranking, however even that would not existing how they collapsed in one of these transient interval of time against the Spurs.
After a hit seven of 10 video games from Dec. 8-Jan. 3 to toughen their file to twenty-14, the Lakers absorb lost three straight. Every of their three opponents at some stage in this losing skid absorb scored at the least 119 functions.
The Lakers will glimpse to preserve away from their first four-sport losing gallop of the season after they host the Warmth at 10 p.m. ET.