On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers finally had a fully healthy team as they faced off against the ninth-seeded Chicago Bulls.
Yet, somehow, the Los Angeles Lakers gave up 146 points in a loss. It was tied for the most amount of points that the Lakers have given up in a non-overtime game in franchise history. It was also the biggest margin of victory that the Chicago Bulls have ever had over the Lakers.
After the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick gave a blunt response to the disappointing loss.
“That was the worst our defense has looked, frankly, maybe all year but certainly in the last 3 months,” Redick said.
While many assumed that the Lakers would look as good as they did before LeBron James was injured and the team, that didn’t seem to be the case. It even looked like the players themselves thought that would be the case.
“I don’t know if we assumed because we had everybody back that it was just gonna be like it was 3 weeks ago,” Redick said.
Some Laker fans may hit the panic button after the loss, which put the team on a two-game losing streak. However, Redick believes the biggest factor in hitting that button will be the team’s defense.
“Our success this season has been based on our defensive disposition. That’s gonna determine our success for the next 3 weeks and that’s gonna determine our success if we are able to secure a postseason berth,” Redick said.
After the loss, the Los Angeles Lakers now have an overall record of 43-27, good for the fourth seed and only three games away from being in the play-in tournament.
