Luka Doncic's 3-word reaction to JJ Redick calling out Lakers after Nets debacle
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After seeing the Boston Celtics snap their eight-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Lakers sought to get back on track with a road win against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. That did not happen, as Luka Doncic and the Lakers fell 111-108 without LeBron James, who is sidelined due to a groin injury. Head coach JJ Redick did not take kindly to his team’s lack of effort against the struggling Nets.
“We just wanted to take shortcuts. Just shortcuts,” Redick said after the loss. “You want to be a good team in the NBA? Want to win? You have to do the hard stuff.”
Despite Doncic recording his second triple-double since arriving in Los Angeles, the Lakers did not look like themselves in this game. Not only did the Nets outrebound them, but Brooklyn forced 15 total turnovers, leading to 19 points. Doncic was responsible for five of the team’s turnovers.
Communication is key, and Redick implored his team for more of it since they will be without LeBron for the coming weeks. While this loss was not entirely his fault, Doncic stepped up and fell on the sword for Redick with a brief response to his coach’s outburst.
“That's my fault,” Doncic stated in response to Redick calling out the team, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
In just his 12th game as a Laker, Doncic is taking accountability for the team’s loss. This is something he did not always do during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, and it takes a lot of humility for star players to do so.
More importantly, by taking accountability for the loss, Doncic is helping set an example for his team since they will be without their true leader in LeBron.
Although Doncic had 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in Brooklyn on Monday night, he shot just 8-of-26 from the floor and 3-of-10 from 3-point range. His shooting struggles contributed to the Nets hanging around in this matchup, which is why Doncic acknowledged that he could’ve been better, which would have impacted the Lakers’ chances of winning.
The good news for Los Angeles is that without James on the court, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and Jordan Goodwin stepped up as key secondary talents. Whereas Vincent led all Lakers players with 24 points, Knecht added 19, and Goodwin finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Luka Doncic gave his teammates the recognition they deserved for their performances, citing that he let them down with his poor night.
“I think I should've helped more, but they all played great. And we gotta have the same mentality moving forward. Injuries are gonna happen and it's just gotta be next man up mentality.”
Nothing will be getting easier for the Lakers, as their schedule only gets more difficult after losing to the Nets. After having Tuesday and Wednesday as off days to rest and recover, Los Angeles will finish their road trip with back-to-back games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The Lakers are currently 40-23 and are a full game behind the Denver Nuggets for the 2-seed following Monday’s loss in Brooklyn.
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