JJ Redick addressed the Lakers’ struggles from three-point range following Sunday’s 112-100 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
“We generated good shots. They’re number one in the league in generating corner threes,” Redick said, highlighting New York’s combination of transition play and half-court execution.
He credited Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson for pushing the pace and OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges for creating corner opportunities. “They made 11-23. Now some of those were towards the end of the game when we’re firing some off offensive rebounds, but they made eleven of them,” Redick added.
On the Lakers’ own three-point woes, he noted, “We were two of fourteen and I thought we got good looks. The defense in the first half in our zone played 23 possessions, held to 19 points. You know, did enough throughout to put ourselves into position to play to win at the end.”
Redick emphasized the impact of New York’s roster, stating, “Some of it was who they had on the floor. That’s fairly typical against Cleveland. We did not use a ton when Merrill and Mitchell were together.”
Discussing his team’s defensive adjustments, he said, “The guys have done a great job once we’ve gone man out. They’ve been awesome and I thought that was really good at times tonight. You know, the job we did once we went to man against Brunson for most part was all night. He ended up with 12 points, averaging almost 30 a game. Did a nice job of facilitating, making plays for his teammates. But limiting him to twelve, it was good.”
Redick also provided a brief health update on Gabe Vincent, who missed the game. “Yeah, just would say he gave day-to-day game again. Whatever you want to phrase it, you know we’ll hopefully have him for Tuesday but he’s got to feel 100% confident.”
The Lakers fell to 29-19, struggling with spacing and three-point shooting despite Luka Doncic’s 30 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists.
New York improved to 31-18, winning its sixth straight and matching a season-high streak, with Anunoby leading the way with 25 points and Landry Shamet adding 23 off the bench.
The Lakers will visit Brooklyn on Tuesday, while the Knicks travel to Washington to face the Wizards, as both teams look to continue momentum before the All-Star break.
