NEW YORK — Frustration was written all over Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick’s face. His team had just let a 15-point lead slip away, falling 111-108 to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. And despite being down three key starters—including the legendary LeBron James—Redick wasn’t interested in excuses.
“I think it was a very low-level communication game for our team,” Redick said, clearly exasperated. “I don’t think being short-handed is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight.”
James, sidelined with a strained left groin from Saturday’s battle against the Boston Celtics, watched from the bench as the Lakers struggled to maintain control. They were also missing starting center Jaxson Hayes (knee), starting forward Rui Hachimura (knee), and crucial reserve Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle).
It started so well. The Lakers’ defense came out strong, holding Brooklyn to just 16 points in the first quarter on 31.6% shooting. But then, everything fell apart.
“I think it was just an overall mentality to take shortcuts tonight,” Redick said, visibly frustrated. “You want to be a good team? You want to win in the NBA? You’ve got to do the hard stuff. We couldn’t even pass to each other. We couldn’t enter our offense, running ball screens literally at half court. Yeah, that’s going to end up in a turnover. I don’t know what we’re doing.”
Luka Doncic, taking Redick’s words to heart, shouldered the blame for the breakdown in communication.
“When JJ said [that] about communication today, that was important,” Doncic admitted. “That’s my fault, and we should have done better at that.”
Doncic recorded his second triple-double as a Laker—22 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds—but his 8-for-26 shooting (3-for-10 from three) and five turnovers loomed large. The Nets threw double teams at him all night, a defensive strategy he has faced countless times, yet he struggled to counter it.
Austin Reaves, another key playmaker in James’ absence, nearly notched a triple-double himself (17 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds) but couldn’t buy a bucket, finishing 3-for-14 from the field.
“I just thought I played incredibly bad,” Reaves admitted, his disappointment evident. “That’s, really, you know, about as much as I can say about that. It’s frustrating not helping your team win. When Bron’s out, I got to be better—and I wasn’t. That’s one of the reasons we lost.”
Despite the loss, several Lakers role players stepped up. Gabe Vincent, making his mark in the starting lineup, had his best game in purple and gold, scoring 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including six threes. Rookie Dalton Knecht added 19 points, while two-way guard Jordan Goodwin delivered a career-best performance—17 points, including a scorching 5-for-6 from deep, along with eight rebounds.
“I think I should have helped more,” Doncic said when asked about their contributions. “But they all played great. We got to have the same mentality moving forward. Injuries are going to happen, and it’s got to be a next-man-up mentality.”
The loss was costly. The Lakers’ two-game skid, paired with the Memphis Grizzlies’ three-game winning streak, has them clinging to the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference by just half a game.
And things aren’t getting any easier.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, James is expected to miss at least 1-2 weeks, a brutal blow considering L.A.’s upcoming schedule. Six games in eight days loom ahead, starting with a grueling road back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets on Thursday and Friday.
Redick isn’t wasting any time. He’s calling for a rare mid-season practice before Thursday’s game, desperate to fix the Lakers’ issues before this make-or-break stretch.
“Everybody’s got to buy in to helping the team be successful,” Reaves said, his voice carrying the weight of the loss. “And like I’ve said two or three times already—I’ve got to be better. I mean, we’ll start there with me. I got to be better.”