the idea, JJ Redick said before the game, it would be for the Lakers go back to the plan he put in place when he became a coach. That plan, of looking long-term and privileging process over results, helped the team win 10 of its first 14 games.
“We are all competitive. I am competitive. “We have to focus on the process and do things the right way and develop that consistency,” he said Tuesday night. “I think if our group does that, we will have good results and results we can live with.”
But after two days of emphasizing the need to be physical, two days after being badly beaten by an opponent in a third quarter in which they “stopped playing” according to their own coach’s assessment, the Lakers again failed to feel up to par. defensive. end.
Facing a powerful team in Phoenix, which they are fighting against both in the West and in their NBA Cup group, the Lakers were again outplayed in the second half, losing 127-100 to the Suns at the Footprint Center.
They have lost three games in a row.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds, while LeBron James scored 18 points and 10 assists, although he had five turnovers. D’Angelo Russell scored 16 off the bench, his first game in double figures since Nov. 15.
The Lakers play their final NBA Cup pool game on Friday at home against Oklahoma City, and need a win (and likely a Suns loss to the San Antonio Spurs) to have a shot at reaching the round of 16. final due to tiebreakers based on point difference. .
“While competing, it’s almost impossible to think about the bigger picture when you’re getting your butt kicked,” guard Austin Reaves said. “But when it’s all over, you sit back, you think about it and now we’re 10-7. I think we are still in a good situation. …But right now, it sucks because who wants to even think about the big picture right now? “You’re thinking about trying to win a game.”
Just as in their previous loss against DenverThe Lakers were carried off the court, their body language was as terrible as their performance. After Denver outscored them 37-15 in the third quarter on Saturday, the Lakers lost the third to the Suns 36-18 and their spirit again seemed broken, even if Redick said his team continued to compete.
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“Our guys kept playing. Our boys continued playing,” he repeated. “It was a difficult night.”
Perhaps Redick saw more than the score suggested, the Lakers’ offense and defense taking turns putting the other at a disadvantage. In the third, the Lakers made just six of 21 field goals, including two of 11 from three-point range. The Suns shot 60.9% in the quarter.
“Once again we just didn’t score in the third quarter,” Davis said. “And our defensive communication was lax. And they were able to make some open shots, open dunks and shots at the rim. And then now we have guys in rotation and they’re running to their shooters to make threes. I think our competitive spirit is always there every time. “I don’t think anyone comes out and says, ‘We don’t want to compete.’ But I think it can feel like that when we’re just not on the same page because we’re not talking. So we have to get better at that part.”
The fight the Lakers lacked in the second half materialized early, even after Kevin Durant, returning from an injury layoff of more than two weeks, opened the game with a 3-pointer. But the focus wasn’t there often enough or for long enough.
They botched a coverage late in the first quarter to give Phoenix an open three-pointer. They gave up an uncontested layup at the end of the third.
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“We might have to look at some things defensively, particularly against really good offensive teams, about what our overall strategies are,” Redick said afterward. “They kind of got what they wanted.”
The Lakers are giving up 118.2 points per 100 possessions, fourth most in the league.
“We’re at the back of the pack,” Davis said. “I’m not saying, ‘Oh man, top five, top three.’ We should be able to reach the middle of the pack and that can change a lot of things for us. So we’ll take it game by game and try to be proud of ourselves defensively.”
The litany of defensive problems (transition problems, keeping teams off the glass, playing hard on the perimeter) added to the lack of effectiveness at the rim as the Suns routinely went to the basket while the Lakers stood by and watched.
The game only got worse from there, with Redick pulling the starters midway through the quarter. And in a final blow, center Jaxson Hayes, back in the lineup after missing two weeks with an ankle injury, appeared to aggravate the situation late before limping to the locker room.
The Lakers have a brief change of direction, playing the Spurs on Wednesday in San Antonio.
“Obviously you get frustrated sometimes, but you never get frustrated with the process,” James said. “That’s what it is. And keep working.”
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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.