Redick shoulders coaching responsibility after the Lakers' third-quarter collapse.
The Los Angeles Lakers (28-18) came into Wednesday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers (29-20) looking to build on their road trip, but instead left Rocket Arena with a 30-point loss and questions about what went wrong.
Head coach JJ Redick did not shy away from putting some of the responsibility on himself, offering a candid take on what happened in the team's 129-99 defeat.
Redick Points to Third Quarter Collapse
The Cavs led 57-55 heading into halftime, and the Lakers looked like they could stay competitive throughout the night.
However, the third quarter told a different story as Cleveland outscored Los Angeles 42-22 in what turned out to be a decisive stretch that put the game out of reach.
"We got outplayed. You can say, you know, I got outcoached," Redick said postgame. "I probably should have made substitutions earlier in that third. We just didn't look like we had all our juice tonight."
The Cavaliers shot 68 percent from the field in the third quarter and knocked down seven of their 11 three-point attempts during that stretch, with Donovan Mitchell scoring eight points and Jaylon Tyson adding seven during the key run.
Cleveland rode that momentum all the way to the finish line and extended their winning streak to five games in a row, which is their best streak of the season.
Stars Struggle on Emotional Night
LeBron James had an emotional return to Cleveland and was brought to tears during a first quarter tribute video that showed highlights from his time with the Cavaliers, including his famous 25 straight points against Detroit in the 2007 playoffs.
However, the 41-year-old struggled on the court and finished with just 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes, marking the first time in 13 trips to Cleveland as an opposing player that he did not score at least 20 points.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting and added six assists and five rebounds, but even his strong performance could not keep Los Angeles in the game after the third quarter breakdown.
Doncic also dealt with an injury scare early in the first quarter when he fell off the Cavaliers' raised court and briefly went to the locker room before returning.
Road Trip Continues
The loss snapped the Lakers' momentum on what is their longest road trip of the season, an eight-game stretch that started in Denver and has already included stops in Dallas and Chicago.
Los Angeles will continue the journey with a game against the Washington Wizards on Friday night before heading to New York and Brooklyn to close out the trip.
James acknowledged after the game that this could have been his last time playing in Cleveland given the uncertainty around his future and the fact that he has not yet made a decision on what comes next.
For now, the Lakers will need to regroup quickly and find the energy that Redick felt was missing if they want to salvage the back half of this road trip and stay in good position in the Western Conference standings.