For the first time this season, the Lakers lost two matches in a row, and once again, it was the defense that was not up to par in the big defeat conceded to Phoenix. “They scored on their first thirteen possessions of the second half…They had about 140 points of offensive efficiency…It was 1.43 points per possession as soon as they got into the paint. They reached the paint on every possession. We couldn’t stop them…” lists JJ Redick.
Last night, the Lakers were without Luka Doncic, and JJ Redick lined up a 17th starting five in 28 matches!
“But that’s clearly not an excuse. You have to play the match that presents itself, regardless of the circumstances…” replies LeBron James. “We try to do it, but tonight we didn’t. We failed on that level. We also know that the most important thing in this league is health, and we hope to be able to regain it at some point. »
A court d’options
But health is not enough, and defense remains problematic. How to find the trigger? “It’s the same thing that I’ve been saying from the beginning: the five players must be connected, attached by the same thread” explains LeBron James. “Afterwards, they also took a lot of well-contested mid-range shots. This is a sector that we sometimes agree to concede. What we don’t want to give away are points on the counterattack, second chances and open 3-point shots. But they are a very good mid-range team. Booker puts it in, Bouyea coming off the bench puts it in, Dillon Brooks too. They were excellent. They should be congratulated for that. »
For JJ Redick, there is a recurring problem and he has identified it.
“Facing young and mobile teams, we can’t keep up. We feel like we’re stuck in the mud. The zone didn’t work, then we switched to individual defense with the desire to switch to all positions in the second half, and that didn’t work either. At that point, you’re out of options. »
