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JJ Redick visibly ticked off after ‘theme’ bites Lakers in butt again vs. Kings
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- JJ Redick visibly ticked off after ‘theme’ bites Lakers in butt again vs. Kings
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The Los Angeles Lakers ' recent slide continued Monday night, and head coach JJ Redick made little effort to hide his frustration afterward.
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The Lakers fell 124-112 to the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center, dropping to 23-14 and extending their losing streak to three games. Despite a respectable opening stretch, Los Angeles once again struggled to keep pace as familiar issues resurfaced, particularly on the defensive end and from the perimeter.
Redick addressed the turning point following a solid first-quarter start, pushing back on the idea that momentum alone caused the game to unravel.
"It's literally we can't make a shot. First of all, they are right there with us as being one of the worst shooting teams in the league. They are tied for the highest with Houston for the highest anyone has shot all season. So, that's typical – we were 28th before tonight in opponent three-point percentage, we'll be 29th or 30th after tonight. We had 50 potential assists tonight, we converted on 21 of those… This has been the theme. We gotta keep shooting I guess."
Sacramento punished the Lakers from long range, finishing 17-for-26 from three-point distance. The Kings also shot 59 percent from the field overall, consistently finding open looks as Los Angeles struggled to rotate and contest. The Lakers, by contrast, endured another cold shooting night, connecting on just eight of their 36 attempts from beyond the arc while shooting 49 percent overall.
The disparity from the perimeter proved decisive, as the Kings steadily pulled away during the second half after the teams played relatively evenly early. Sacramento's ball movement and shot-making overwhelmed a Lakers defense that has allowed strong three-point performances throughout the season.
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LeBron James echoes JJ Redick 's message as Kings shooting exposes Lakers again
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LeBron James finished with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 33 minutes. He shot 8-for-17 from the field and made all six of his free-throw attempts, but acknowledged afterward that execution alone was not enough to overcome the shooting gap.
"They made a bunch of threes. We didn't make many, but I thought we played, we had our gameplan – we executed our gameplan. Tonight was just one of those cases where we didn't make shots."
When asked whether the loss could be pinned primarily on Sacramento's 17 made three-pointers, James emphasized that the issue went beyond the opponent's success.
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"You don't put it strictly on that but you gotta make shots and we didn't make shots. We got some very, very good looks. I got some great looks, you know that you just gotta knock down and we didn't."
The loss underscored Redick's postgame message, as the Lakers generated quality opportunities but failed to convert at a level necessary to win against an efficient opponent. Sacramento's shooting night further highlighted Los Angeles' ongoing issues defending the three-point line, an area Redick openly acknowledged has become a recurring problem.
The Lakers will look to reset quickly as they return home to open a two-game homestand. Los Angeles hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m. ET in the second half of a back-to-back. Atlanta enters the matchup on a three-game winning streak following its recent trade that sent Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, setting up another test for a Lakers team searching for answers amid a growing slump.
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