Who could have predicted that? The Los Angeles Lakers fought hard to respond to an early 13-point lead from the Chicago Bulls. And once they found success, they blew the home team away. But again, the Bulls fought to bring the game close. It was only a miracle that sealed the deal for them. Josh Giddey hit a half-court Hail Mary to beat the Lakers at the buzzer.
The Lakers contingent unsurprisingly had their shoulders slouched at the end of the night. Austin Reaves felt he had won them the game with his clutch layup right before Giddey’s shot. But that didn’t happen. The Boomer hit a shot of dreams that JJ Redick and the Lakers are still finding hard to process.
“Devastation. It’s a hell of a way to lose a basketball game,” Redick said right after the game.
After gnawing back from a 13-point deficit, the Lakers went unconscious. They controlled the tempo with Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic combining for 55 points. The undrafted guard played with some ease against the Bulls as his 30 points put the Lakers in the commander’s seat. However, Giddey and Coby White once again did their part to sink the Lakers.
JOSH GIDDEY WINS IT AT THE BUZZER FROM HALF COURT
COMPLETES AN 18-POINT 4Q COMEBACK FOR THE BULLS!!#TissotBuzzerBeater #YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/66AbdWc0rw
— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2025
To be fair, the Lakers did defend significantly better than they did five days ago when Chicago put 146 points past them. For the first three quarters, they did prevent White from getting into any sort of rhythm. But that changed in the fourth quarter. The 25-year-old scored 15, spearheading the explosive comeback.
Such a game can mentally disturb teams. And for the Lakers, it comes at a tricky time with them slated to play the Grizzlies next in an important Western Conference matchup. With the high-stakes contest ahead, JJ Redick sent a straightforward message to the Lakers. He doesn’t want to see any emotional turmoil get carried over.
“We are not in a position to feel sorry for ourselves,” he said after their performance tonight.
But could JJ Redick have done something to prevent it?
JJ Redick wouldn’t do anything differently
Although it’s his first year, Redick has thrived in his job at the helm of the Lakers. His acumen and decision-making have been key in doing so. Even after a major change of getting Luka Doncic, the first-year head coach crafted a defense that ranked first in the league for weeks. But tonight he did make a questionable decision.
With 12 seconds left, the Bulls’ Patrick Williams hit a vital three coming out of a timeout. It got the game to within one possession, leaving Redick with a key decision to make. Does he take the timeout to plan for a potential final play? He chose against it, which led to a Lakers turnover and White hitting a triple to take the lead.
But although the decision backfired, Redick didn’t experience any regrets over his judgment. “No, not necessarily. I mean if I had two I would have taken it automatically. Super comfortable with the lineup we had out there to get the ball in and you know we just didn’t execute it. Still had I think time to call the timeout. I think in that situation the thought process was get it in if we can if not call a timeout,” Redick explained.
It’s hard to argue against JJ Redick’s thought process. So far this season, the Lakers had never lost a game when leading by more than 15 points in the fourth quarter. They had won all 19 of such games. However, tonight, the raging comeback from the Bulls evaporated their 18-point lead with excellent shot-making and forcing uncharacteristic mistakes.
Do you think JJ Redick could have played it differently? Let us know your thoughts about the game in the comments below.
The post Devastated JJ Redick Sends Blunt Message to Lakers Locker Room After Explaining Key Decision vs. Bulls appeared first on EssentiallySports.