JJ Redick blames LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s misses for late Game 4 collapse instead of fatigue

Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James, Luka Doncic and others have struggled with fatigue after JJ Redick played them the entire second half.

JJ Redick blames LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s misses for late Game 4 collapse instead of fatigue

JJ Redick not ready to accept LeBron James and Luka Doncic missed shots due to fatigue

LeBron James and Luka Doncic gave their all in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But JJ Redick‘s Los Angeles Lakers still came up short and now are staring at an early end to their season.

James did not score a single point in the fourth quarter after playing every minute from the start of the second half. On top of that, he turned the ball over and then fouled Anthony Edwards to award the Timberwolves free throws, which would end up deciding the game.

Before that sequence, Doncic had missed a shot, and it started to dawn on fans and analysts that the Lakers’ starters were exhausted. Charles Barkley later said that it was senseless to force the starters to play every minute. However, JJ Redick is still defiant when Dave McMenamin asked about fatigue causing errors.

No. Looking back now, what have we scored, 19, 20, 13 in the fourth quarter. It’s a trend. Our two best players missed layups at the rim. I don’t think they missed layups cause they were tired.

JJ Redick said

This was the second instance where the first-year head coach diverted the topic of fatigue to point out other problems. After the game, he talked about Luka Doncic being tripped and not receiving free throws. This time, he is talking about how not scoring enough points in the fourth quarter is a trend he wants his team to avoid.

Austin Reaves believes Lakers have to play their best offense to win series

The 40-year-old head coach might have a point. If the Los Angeles Lakers are not executing in the fourth quarter, their opponents could use that against them. When reporters asked Austin Reaves if they are looking to be more disciplined on offense, he said-

You want to create the easiest shot possible every single possession. We have enough talent on our team to do that. Ever single possession we have to get the best look possible.

Austin Reaves said

He added that they played that way in the third quarter of Game 4. That efficient and disciplined performance saw them take a 10-point lead. However, fatigue or, as JJ Redick said, their fourth-quarter efforts did not help to keep that lead.

Now the Lakers are staring at the possibility of exiting the playoffs in the first round. That would be a disappointing end to a promising run. They were expected to be fighting to reach at least the conference semi-finals. They can, if they win the next three games. But the odds are against them.

LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Anthony Edwards lighting up viewership ratings

The odds might be against the Los Angeles Lakers, but LeBron James has overcome the odds famously before. It might be nearly a decade since that legendary NBA title-winning performance. But the NBA as well as ESPN might want James to go on a similar path.

Stephen A. Smith might berate the 40-year-old superstar stemming from his much-publicized grudge, but his employer has seen enough proof that the four-time champion still dominates viewership ratings. Along with Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards, they generated an average of 7.35 million viewers.

A peak of 10 million plus viewers tuned in to watch the two sides battle, making it the most-watched Game 4 round 1 matchup ever broadcast on ESPN. In a season where NBA viewership ratings were dropping at an alarming rate, this will give the league hope that fans are coming back to watch basketball.

Also Read: