JJ Redick had a strong assessment of his Los Angeles Lakers’ defensive performance on Saturday night.
The Lakers succumbed to the to the Chicago Bulls at home with a 146-115 loss. What started as a competitive game, with the Bulls entering halftime up 65-62, became a lopsided matchup in the second half.
Chicago won the third and fourth quarters 39-27 and 42-26, respectively, to give Redick’s team one of the worst defeats of the season.
Once the game was over, the former sharpshooter broke down what went wrong for his team, stating that the defense wasn’t on the same page.
“Our defense,” Redick said when asked about the biggest factor in the Bulls’ offensive outburst. “We gave up 44 points in the paint. Our turnovers killed us all night, which led to them getting shots in transition. I thought we did a poor job contesting.
“I love my team, I love those guys. That was the worst our defense has looked, frankly, maybe all year, but certainly in the last three months,” he added.
JJ: “That was the worst our defense has looked frankly maybe all year, but certainly in the last three months.” pic.twitter.com/AMyDvnQHDh
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 23, 2025
The Bulls shot 58.3% from the field and hit 19 3s on a 46.3% clip to secure this win. More than that, they tallied 41 assists against the Lakers’ 23. Chicago’s defense was also on another level, recording 17 steals and five blocks while the Lakers responded with just eight and one, respectively.
Fast break points were a major factor, too, as the Bulls scored 30 and the Lakers had only 12.
This was a surprising performance by the Lakers on the defensive end, considering how well they’ve played on that side of the ball even during losses. Redick stated they need to get things together now, as the final three weeks of the regular season start on Monday against the Orlando Magic.