JJ Redick blunt about Lakers' effort, defense after blowout - ESPN

PHOENIX — After his team's defense was shredded in the third quarter of a 132-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked a simple, straightforward question.

Does your group have enough players who are hardwired to play with consistent effort and physicality the way a team like the Suns plays every night?

«No,» Redick replied.

The Phoenix defeat was L.A.'s third in its past five games and ninth of the season — all of them coming by double digits.

Despite being 19-9 overall and No. 4 in the Western Conference, the Lakers' cumulative point differential is just plus-8 through 28 games.

After improving during the second half of last season and finishing 17th in defensive rating in the NBA, the Lakers have experienced a backslide to begin this season — ranking 24th.

Things went sideways for L.A. after halftime in Phoenix, when the Lakers were outscored 45-29 in the third quarter and saw the Suns to shoot 72.7% from the field (83.3% on 3-pointers) in the period.

«We practice this stuff enough,» Redick said of the defensive principles he wants to see. «We review this stuff enough. We show film on this stuff enough that to me, it like comes down to… just making the choice. It's making the choice.

»There are shortcuts you can take or you can do the hard thing and you can make the second effort or you can sprint back or you can't. It's just a choice. And there's a million choices in a game, and you're very likely not going to make every choice correctly. But can you make the vast majority of them correctly? It gives you a chance to win."

Austin Reaves returned from a three-game absence because of a strained left calf to score 17 points off the bench while on a minutes restriction.