JJ Redick pointed to the opening minutes as the biggest problem in the Lakers’ 134-128 loss to Dallas on Sunday, saying, “We didn’t start the game the right way and just catch up the rest of the game.” The Lakers were playing their first game without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and Redick said the early shot-making by the Mavericks changed the feel of the night.
“There’s a downhill effect to when guys make shots,” Redick said. “They make some threes early. Cooper makes some jumpers early. And what is the effect of that? We don’t get in our shifts.” He added that the staff has to “give these guys the answers to the test in a better way” as the Lakers try to settle their rotation.
Dallas star Cooper Flagg finished with 45 points, but Redick said the issue was bigger than one scorer. “We talked about getting back. We just didn’t do a good job getting early in that game,” he said, while also praising the Mavericks’ ball movement and defensive pressure.
Redick said the Lakers needed to be sharper on both ends because “it’s got to be the devotion” with the playoffs approaching. He noted that the team still has “a week left of the regular season and then to prepare,” and said the commitment must come “from both ends.”
The coach also singled out the way Dallas handled LeBron James, who had 30 points and 15 assists. Redick said, “I thought he was a great version,” and explained that the Mavericks did a good job trying to keep him out of comfortable spots: “We did enough intentionally to get him sort of out of actions.”
Redick said the Lakers’ offense still produced enough quality looks, finishing with 36 assists, but he stressed that the first step has to be better defense. “We became a really good offensive team and a defensive team,” he said, before adding that the group has to keep organizing better and find the right second-unit combinations.
The Lakers’ coach also praised Jackson Hayes after his first-half run, saying, “He was really good,” while acknowledging that 41 minutes for LeBron was too much. With Oklahoma City next on Tuesday, Redick made clear the fix has to come fast.
