The Lakers’ unbeaten run ended Monday night, losing to the Phoenix Suns 105-109. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker were able to exact revenge for their previous loss against the Lakers at home in the Foot Print Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
As surprising as it may sound to many, LeBron James had a historically bad game tonight, scoring just 11 points. On the other hand, Anthony Davis continued his brilliant offensive run, adding 29 points, 3 assists, and 15 rebounds.
New Lakers head coach JJ Redick wasn’t happy about his team’s performance and took accountability for this on-road loss. Redick took the blame for the team’s offensive drought and for being inefficient in trying to stop Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Redick, in a post-game press conference, said,
“If there’s one thing to nitpick, it’s probably me…I should have gone to the fire a possession or two earlier against KD…We should never have a 14-point quarter…that’s on me.”
Furthermore, according to league sources, Redick was also heard to be fuming in the Lakers’ locker room and lambasting his players for this loss. Per Jovan Buha on X, “LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura all spoke to how pissed off JJ Redick was in the locker room postgame after the loss.”
LeBron James’ sub-par performance had JJ Redick fuming
LeBron James’ performance for the Lakers’ second outing against the Suns wasn’t something one would expect from the King. Coach JJ Redick was fuming with rage, especially when James and the team fumbled a possession in the second quarter.
When the cameras panned towards the new head coach, Redick blasted the veteran player with expletives. “Shoot the f**king ball,” the first-time head coach was observed yelling.
It was an off day for LeBron James, who shot 3-14 from the field and 2-5 from the three-point line. On the other hand, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura showed sparks of brilliance, adding 23 and 20 points to the Lakers’ tally.
This is the first loss for the Lakers this season, who are looking to bounce back to their winning ways very soon. The Lakers will continue their road trip with their next matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, James’ former team. The Cavs are on a 4-0 run to start the season, and this could be an interesting matchup for the Lakers on Wednesday night.
ALSO READ – WATCH: Dwight Howard Hilariously Trash Talks Kevin Durant From the Sidelines
