Redick slams Lakers' offensive display after blowout loss, citing stagnant ball movement and poor shooting.
The Los Angeles Lakers came out flat on the offensive end Sunday night and never recovered, falling 111-89 to the Boston Celtics at Crypto.com Arena in what was supposed to be a marquee matchup on national television.
It was the kind of loss that leaves a bad taste, especially on a night where the franchise honored Pat Riley with a statue ceremony before the game.
Head coach JJ Redick did not hold back in his postgame press conference, putting the blame squarely on the offensive end while giving his team credit for how they competed defensively.
"We did enough defensively, we were just awful offensively tonight," Redick said postgame.
A Rough Night From the Field
The numbers told the story. Los Angeles shot just 39.1 percent from the field and went 9-of-30 from beyond the arc, coming out to a 30 percent clip from three.
The ball didn't move the way it normally does, and the Lakers managed only 18 assists on the night while generating just nine fast-break points.
Luka Doncic led the team with 25 points, but it took him 22 shots to get there and he finished 9-of-22 from the floor.
LeBron James added 20 points on a similar 9-of-21 line, and together the two stars accounted for nearly half of the team's total scoring.
The rest of the roster struggled to contribute much of anything offensively, with Marcus Smart going scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting and no one else on the bench stepping up outside of Luke Kennard's nine points.
Meanwhile, Boston got a huge lift from Payton Pritchard off the bench with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting and six three-pointers, and Jaylen Brown chipped in 32 points as the Celtics assisted on 29 of their 40 made field goals.
Shooting Woes Continue to Haunt Los Angeles
The loss dropped the Lakers to 34-22 on the season and raised more questions about their shooting consistency heading into the stretch run.
The team sits around 35 percent from three on the year, which ranks in the bottom third of the league, and Sunday's 30 percent showing from deep was one of their worst of the season.
Doncic is still putting up 33.0 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, and James is averaging 22.0 points and 7.1 assists, but the rest of the roster has been inconsistent when it comes to knocking down open shots.
The Celtics improved to 37-19 with the win, their second victory over Los Angeles this season after a 126-105 win back on December 6, and they continue to look like one of the best teams in the East even without Jayson Tatum for the year.
Redick pointed to shot selection as a key issue, noting the team settled for too many non-paint two-point shots instead of attacking the rim.
"We just gotta do a better job of finding guys and moving the ball," Redick said.
The Lakers will look to bounce back Tuesday night when they host the Orlando Magic, and they will need a much better effort on the offensive end if they want to solidify their spot in the Western Conference playoff picture over the final stretch.