SAN FRANCISCO — It’s unusual for an NBA coach to intentionally use his first timeout in the first minute of a game.
But that’s exactly what Lakers coach JJ Redick did in his team’s short-handed 124-98 loss to the Warriors Tuesday night at Chase Center, after a “crazy” start to the game, as Redick put it.
Even with the Lakers not having a significant portion of the team expected to be in their rotation, opening night against the Warriors is two weeks away.
The Lakers opened Tuesday against the Warriors with an offensive possession that nearly used up the entire 24-second shot clock before Sandro Mamukelashvili drove into the paint and turned the ball over, sparking a Warriors counterattack that ended with Brandin Podziemski knocking down a 3-pointer on a second-chance opportunity.
On the Lakers’ next possession, Redick had already seen enough.
After just a few passes after his team got the ball, the Lakers coach stood up from his seat on the team bench to signal a timeout 52 seconds into the game.
“When you write a first play and then give them a second play that’s a play that we scripted for ten days, or whatever, and they also don’t come out right, that’s unacceptable,” Redick said. “You’re not ready to play. It got us off to a bad start.”
The Lakers’ bad start turned into a bad first half.
The Warriors took a 45-31 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 81-53 at halftime.
“The way we started that game was crazy,” Redick said. “I don’t know the reasons, because this group has been great in the two months I’ve been with them. The first half was unacceptable.”
Redick made sure his players knew his feelings at halftime.
“I have the impression of being there already, we already know that we have to control ourselves,” said Adou Thiero. “So coming in and being able to talk about it at halftime, JJ came in and he just let us know straight up what it was.”
The Lakers’ early struggles against the Warriors occurred while Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Collin Sexton were all on the bench in street clothes.
“I told them at halftime: I’ve had a handful of games as a coach where you’re missing star players and a lot of your depth — and I still hope to win,” Redick said. “I expect us to play up to our standards, and that first half didn’t meet my expectations; and I let them know that. Austin and I joked because I’ve been out there before and said ‘I’m not going to raise my voice,’ and at the end I’m yelling. I regulated it, but you can still hold them accountable, and I think they responded.”
The Lakers dominated the Warriors 45-43 in the second half, but the damage was already done from the terrible start.
Gn sports
