JJ Redick didn’t sugarcoat anything after the Los Angeles Lakers were blown out 108-125 by the Phoenix Suns. His team had won seven straight, and they were back home. The Lakers were supposed to be sharp and dominant. But they played one of their worst games of the year, and Redick was genuinely stunned by his team’s display.
“If you don’t play hard against that team, you’re going to get exposed. Multiple times in the first half, we have a numbers advantage in transition on the defensive end, and guys just run by us. We talked about matching their physicality. Didn’t do that to any extent at any point in the game.”
“Maybe there’s brain fog from three in four nights, I don’t know. I don’t remember ever talking about going under versus laser,s and Gillespie’s making threes, and Royce O’Neal is making threes. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“It’s a weird sort of thing. It really is. It’s like the Mon Stars taking over the people that you’ve grown to coach, and they’re not doing anything that they normally do. It’s weird.”
The numbers explained everything. The Suns moved the ball extremely well as they had 35 assists to the Lakers’ 18. They forced 21 turnovers while they committed only 11. The Suns also had 16 steals to the Lakers’ one.
Everything Phoenix did looked crisp and connected, and everything the Lakers did looked heavy and out of sync.
It wasn’t hard to see what Rerick meant. The Suns punished every mistake, knocking down 17 threes, including eight from Collin Gillespie. Dillon Brooks added 33 points. And the strangest part was that the Lakers repeatedly went under screens on shooters they had specifically game-planned not to leave.
On the offensive end, the Lakers didn’t look like themselves either. They finished with only two fast-break points. They played slow, disconnected basketball and drifted into isolation far too often. Luka Doncic had 38 points, but he needed 26 shots to get there and committed nine turnovers. Austin Reaves took just 12 shots for 16 points. LeBron James had only 10 attempts and finished with 10 points, needing a late three to preserve his double-digit scoring streak.
It was the type of performance where everyone looked a step slow, and Redick saw the same thing.
‘The Monstars’ line wasn’t just a joke. It was his way of saying the Lakers didn’t resemble the group he’s been coaching all season. They didn’t rotate with urgency. They didn’t communicate. They didn’t match Phoenix’s energy. And they certainly didn’t protect the ball.
For a team that has been building momentum and defining its identity through effort and detail, this wasn’t just a loss. It was a reminder of how quickly things fall apart when those two pillars disappear.
Redick wasn’t angry. He was puzzled. But his message was clear enough. Play like that again, and even teams below you in the standings can blow you off the court.
