Max Christie Feels Lakers Are Still In 'Solid Spot' Despite Recent Tough Losses
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To say the Los Angeles Lakers’ season so far has been a roller coaster would be an understatement. The team has lost four of their last five games after a six-game win streak. That win streak followed a 1-4 road trip which came after the team’s 3-0 start. The same can be said for third-year wing Max Christie.
Coming into the season, Christie was one of the most talked about players by both coaches and teammates, but early-season struggles saw him fall out of the rotation in favor of veteran Cam Reddish. But Christie has worked his way back into the rotation and has played his best basketball over the last handful of games.
Unfortunately, many of these performances have come in losses, including the Lakers’ most recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. But Christie still feels the Lakers are in a solid spot overall despite their recent struggles
“I mean, to be honest, I think we’re in a solid spot,” Christie said after the loss to the Thunder. “I think tonight was a good game for us. OKC is the best team in the West record-wise, they’re super physical. I think we honestly did a good job defensively making them work for every basket they scored.
“So we’re in a good spot, to be honest. I think we just got to continue to stay with each other and grow upon this loss. I gotta learn from it, but I don’t think we’re worrying right now.”
The Lakers did hold the Thunder to just 101 points on only 40.9% shooting which is good enough to get the win on most nights. However, 17 turnovers and 15 Thunder offensive rebounds ultimately doomed the Lakers on this night. Even still, Christie likes where the Lakers are headed defensively.
“Communication is one, for sure. We went to switching the last two games and I think it’s worked for the most part,” Christie added. “I think for the first three quarters at least were pretty low scoring quarters for both teams. So I think defensively for us, that’s a good sign. OKC might not be the best defense in the league but they’re top 10 or 15 in offense too, they got a lot of good players over there.
“So I think defensively, honestly we’ve taken steps in the right direction. I’m not sure what our transition points were tonight, that’s obviously an area of emphasis for us. But I think our halfcourt defense is really good… We’re taking steps in the right direction defensively.”
The Lakers rank in the top-10 in offensive rating, but their defense has hurt them more often than not. If they are able to improve defensively while maintaining a strong offense behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the Lakers will be a tough team to beat on any given night.
Lakers’ Max Christie takes responsibility for late-game foul vs. Thunder
Max Christie’s play on Friday earned him a spot on the court late in the game as he was tasked with trying to slow down Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgious-Alexander. Unfortunately, Christie made a mental error in committing a foul, allowing Gilgious-Alexander to go to the line and make a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game.
Afterwards, Christie admitted he made a mental error that cost the Lakers.
“Yeah, it was a misinterpretation on my part,” Christie said. “But regardless, I knew the time and score of the game but I didn’t realize they were in the bonus. And I should have known because they were in the bonus for the last three or four minutes. So yeah, it’s a mental error on my part and I take responsibility for that.”
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