Lakers Are Allegedly “Disconnected” As JJ Redick & Max Christie’s Blunder Gets Explained After OKC Loss

Once again, the Lakers throw a close game away at home! For a moment, it looked like LeBron James & Co. had the game in their hand until the nerves kicked in. Especially with the third-year forward, Max Christie, pulling off a slip-up at the end, which added further insult to the injury. And, following the game, Coach JJ Redick cemented Anthony Davis’ earlier accusation and dropped the reason behind the OKC Thunder loss.

After the loss, Coach Redick highlighted one thing, saying that the Lakers are disconnected defensively. Importantly, the NBA world witnessed a live example of the same. With 22 seconds left on the clock, the LA side was down by two points. At the time, Thunder’s superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove up the lane to expand the lead. The home side had only one task which was to deny the bucket and close the game with a bucket on the other end.

Instead, Max Christie, who was guarding Shai and took a look at the Lakers’ bench for a second, fouled the Thunder guard when the visitors were already on bonus. The Canadian baller cashed in on the two free throws and further extended the lead. Following the game, speaking of the Christie mix-up, Redick said that he was not sure whether the rising star misunderstood his message for fouling instead of defensive coverage.

Speaking of it, Max said, “It was a misinterpretation on my part… I didn’t realize they were in bonus and I should have known ’cause they’re on the bonus for the last 3 or 4 minutes so it’s a mental error on my part. I take the responsibility for that.” While we have a solid example for the disconnection, JJ described tonight’s game as, “Over the last two games, that was as disconnected our group has been on that end of the floor since the first game of the season.” This is something that Anthony Davis addressed a few days ago.

AD catches up on Lakers’ flaw before JJ Redick

By now, it has become a universal truth that the Lakers have lost their trick on the defensive end. Even after having players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis at their disposal, the team still struggles to restrict their opponents’ offense. Speaking of it, AD recently said, “We all try to do the right thing with the lack of communication that goes on… We not mind readers, so we’re not talking to you… I think we just pick up our communication and we’ll be fine on the defensive end.”

Moreover, everyone expected Redick to release his steam in the post-game presser, considering how the Lakers threw the game away in the last minute. But, the 40-year-old looked on the brighter side and dropped an encouraging statement to the Lakers nation.

Redick said, “We played well enough and hard enough to win against the best team in the West so, it’s definitely good stuff,” right after he criticized the team’s disconnectivity in the defensive end. Now that, the Lakers’ odds of qualifying for the NBA Cup knockout rounds have completely diminished, will they stay focussed to rack up their win record? Let us know in the comments.