The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, marking a disappointing return from the All-Star break. Head coach JJ Redick addressed the defeat, citing offensive struggles, sloppy execution, and the challenge of reintegrating players after a week-long layoff.
“I don’t think it was just Austin,” Redick said regarding Austin Reaves’ ejection late in the third quarter. “That certainly hurt us, but overall, we played 39-44 minutes of pretty poor offense. Some of that’s to be expected. Some of it was sloppiness, some of it was poor spacing, some of it was poor execution.”
The Lakers shot 41.1% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc, failing to establish any offensive consistency. Despite leading 65-53 late in the third quarter, Los Angeles allowed Charlotte to seize momentum with a 22-1 run. Redick acknowledged the challenges of returning from the break, saying, “That’s just the reality of having six days off as a group and trying to integrate new pieces. And that happens sometimes.”
LeBron James led the Lakers with 26 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, but missed two potential game-tying three-pointers in the final moments. Luka Dončić had a rough shooting night, finishing 5-for-18 from the field and 1-for-9 from deep. Redick, however, emphasized that the team’s effort was not the issue.
“I think our guys competed tonight and they played extremely hard,” he said. “I also think Charlotte played very sloppy. That’s not to make an excuse. That’s just the reality of having six days off as a group.”
Charlotte capitalized on Reaves’ absence, with LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges combining for 56 points. Nick Smith Jr. hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 48 seconds left, while Ball secured the win with a finger-roll layup in the final seconds.
Redick also addressed the decision to have James take the last shots down the stretch, saying, “There’s some interchangeable parts in some of the late-game stuff. As a coach, you’re excited that you have two guys that can be the passer and be the guy who gets the pass, but it felt like LeBron, particularly in the fourth, just found a nice rhythm and felt really comfortable with that. We got two good looks.”
Rui Hachimura had a chance to change the outcome but missed two key free throws late in the game. James responded with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one, but Ball sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
Mark Williams, who nearly became a Laker at the trade deadline before Los Angeles rescinded the deal, contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte. The Hornets snapped a 10-game losing streak, improving to 14-39 on the season.
The Lakers, now 32-21, have dropped back-to-back games against teams near the bottom of the standings. With the Western Conference playoff race tightening, Redick and his squad will need to regroup quickly.
