Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Late Game Execution Costs the Lakers, Lose 134-132 in OT to Hawks

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to a special bonus episode of Locked on Lakers for a Saturday. Brian Kiminenko, Andy Komenetsky, heartbreaker for the Lakers in Atlanta as late game execution really does the Lakers in. We'll talk about it next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcasts Network, your team every day. Thanks to everyone for making Locked on Lakers first listen to every day, Monday through Friday, no matter how or where you get your podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:37 This one's always free, never behind a paywall. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 26,000 subscribers to the channel, Andy, all of whom are probably reminding me that Brian, sometimes this podcast happens on Saturdays. I mean, like, you know, weekends too, depending on when the Lakers play. Oh, my God, Andy. This was in some ways a refreshing change from the recent play of the Lakers. they go into Atlanta and perform much better. But oh, the result, 134 to 132, they lose in overtime to the Hawks in a game that was undone,

Starting point is 00:01:17 not by bad performances from their stars or things like that, but just a pile of failures and moments where they didn't execute and shot themselves in the foot and couldn't seem to do. basic things. This is as frustrating as any loss they've had all season, including the ones where they lost by, say, 41 points. I had actually anticipated before the game

Starting point is 00:01:46 started to fall apart in overtime, you know, I would say even with like a minute or two left in regulation, talking about how the Lakers didn't necessarily play great in this game

Starting point is 00:02:02 because particularly defensively, like a lot of their execution, was not great. They left way too many shooters open. But I had been prepared to talk about, though, how this was a game that felt like the Lakers moving in the right direction because, A, the offense was clicking a lot better. And B, they were just playing with more spirit and more energy and just more, even purpose misguided, but still a sense of purpose of we are going. out there with the this feels like a low bar to clear but lately the bar has been low like

Starting point is 00:02:40 the right the right goals the right purpose all of that stuff yeah and i i think to me they that was related to um the the fact the offense got back on track like i feel like part and underrated part of these last couple games is the fact the lakers together in in both of those games scored 173 points. That's not good. And any sport that you play, I don't care what level you're at, when you do not score, it sucks the air out of the balloon. And so the Lakers came out and, you know, Rui Hachamura, who played a nice game, got off

Starting point is 00:03:18 to a really good start, I think, which helped them. And, you know, it was pretty clear from the beginning that, you know, LeBron was, who played, first of all. This was as energetic from start to finish as LeBron. has been on both sides of the ball in a while. He was unfortunately part of some of the late execution problems that the team had, which in one way or another involved just about everybody. But LeBron's energy in this game was fantastic.

Starting point is 00:03:47 We had talked a lot about for Friday's regular show, and I know I harped on a lot, like the need for him to pick up that energy. You were ready for the Lakers to just trade him and get rid of him. You owe that man an apology. No, I don't owe the man an apology. He did what I asked. I said he shouldn't play. No.

Starting point is 00:04:10 All things considered. No, no. If anything, he owes me an apology because he did the things I was talking about. It was a much better result. He must have listened to the show. But I mean, I just want to make sure that that's like what we saw from LeBron in that sense was that's the type of thing that inspires your teammates to pick up those cues and play like that as well. So he deserves a lot of props for it. And LeBron and AD together, you know, is starting to get to that play.

Starting point is 00:04:36 You know, we talking about some of the performances here and the offensive performances in AD. I think missed his first couple shots, but then, you know, kind of got going a little bit. And, you know, he obviously finished with a great line, 38 points on 15 to 27 for the floor. 10 rebounds, eight assists. He had a steal. He had a couple blocks. LeBron, 39 points, 14 and 25 from the floor. 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks, including a chase down.

Starting point is 00:05:01 block that was it was like that was one of those moments where I was like oh man they really you know could win you know could maybe should will win this game you know LeBron with one of his classic chase downs but it contextually it actually summarized why the lakers ended up losing this game by two to me Andy so you know you're in you're in this situation in the in the over time and it was a very lazy pass from Anthony Davis dropping it off to LeBron next to Dyson Daniels who is so great leads the league in steals to the point that they've named him now the Great Barrier Thief which is one of the best NBA nicknames that has come out in a very long time so kudos to whoever came up with that one and so you know LeBron hustles

Starting point is 00:06:00 and breaks of the play. And they actually, Reddick had it reviewed because LeBron saw that the ball actually kind of went off of Daniels and it wasn't just squatted out of bounds. And what do they do? Which is amazing, by the way, to be able to see that in real time is unbelievable.

Starting point is 00:06:20 Because he said it right away. It wasn't like, you know, somebody whispered in his ear. He started lobbying. When they were first challenging, I was like, what the hell are they even challenging? And then you could see LeBron. You know, that's like some next level stuff from LeBron.

Starting point is 00:06:33 He's really good. Like, you know, the guy has seen a couple things. So it was a turn. It was a bad play followed by kind of like a hero play. And what is the end result of that? The Lakers win the challenge. They inbound the ball and Anthony gets Davis gets tied up because they can't run the inbound play correctly as Reddick talked about it after the game.

Starting point is 00:06:57 Like that didn't happen the way they wanted it to. So Reddick, you know, so AD gets tied up, jump ball, Lakers lose, they win the tap and lose the ball. It's tipped out of bounds. Atlanta gets the ball back. Like, you know, after all of that stuff, all of that work, the Lakers don't execute in two or three different instances and cost themselves possessions and eventually give up points. the final play of the game, for at least the game winning shot, I should say. For Atlanta,

Starting point is 00:07:33 you had a situation where Anthony Davis and Gabe Vincent could not keep track of who was switching and who wasn't and who was supposed to go where and who wasn't, because they kept, it seemed almost like double teaming the same player, like back and forth, ping ponging, and then eventually

Starting point is 00:07:50 it leaves Trey Young wide open for the game winning shot. I'm pretty sure, and I think JJ alluded to it as well, the game. That was Gabe's mistake. And by the way, this was easily the best game. Gabe Vincent has played as a Laker. Like he was up to that point. Started in place. It should be noted. He started in place of DeLo, who had been starting in place of a still injured Austin Reeves. Vincent finished with 12 points, five assists, two steals, a block, five of 11 from a floor, two of four from three point range.

Starting point is 00:08:26 Yeah, I tweeted during the game at Cam Brothers and put out on Blue Sky, like the Lakers are never going to get as good a game from Gabe Vince again. Like they can't waste it. This would have been like this is the equivalent of the Lakers blowing Kobe's 81 point game. Like you're never going to get anything better from Gabe Vince. Regardless with like, you know, whatever that like those guys needed to communicate far more clearly than they obviously didn't do. And, you know, but there were a moment that happened a couple times down the stretch. they got their coverages mixed up where they, you know, made a lazy pass.

Starting point is 00:09:00 Where they, you know, well, I mean, this is the Lakers and they're going to get their coverages mixed up a lot. But, you know, there's, there's a famous line from John McKay, you know, of course, the legendary USC football coach who eventually coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a long time. He was asked about his team's execution at after a Buccaneers game, and he said, I'm in favor of it. And I got to distinguish. thinked impression that that was J.J. Reddick after the game. There were so many of this. I mean, the jump ball thing, the, you know, the, the little mistakes that they made near the end of the fourth quarter and into the overtime that cost them this game must have driven him insane.

Starting point is 00:09:50 He was almost speechless after the game, Andy, it seemed. Well, I told you before. This is, is JJ Reddick's tell, like in terms of how he's feeling because JJ loves to let everybody know that he has all the answers. Like he is, he is not shy about intimating that he's the smartest person in the room. I mean, look, he is a podcast host and we know how we are. Yeah. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I, we're insufferable. But this is why we have to do the podcast from separate rooms. But like when, when j when things are not going well, JJ often has. a difficult time coming up with words. And look, I imagine

Starting point is 00:10:30 from somebody like Redick, who is a very good communicator, it must be very frustrating to feel like my communication is not resonating on a regular enough basis. And I've said before, like, I don't think Redick thought this job

Starting point is 00:10:46 would be easy because he's not stupid. He's been in the NBA a long time. He knows how hard it is to win. I do think he is sometimes surprised by when things don't take that he's communicating. I think that at times. The amount of times. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I think that's true.

Starting point is 00:11:09 And look, it's ultimately up to him to figure out the ways to make it register. Like, that's part of the gig. You know, there's a lot we'll get into. Beyond whatever needs to be adjusted with, you know, schemes and whatever. Like, that's the gig, man. you've got to communicate what you want and make it stick. I think it's the making it stick part that is the problem. And like it's the Lakers play on Sunday and at home against Portland

Starting point is 00:11:35 and what is evolving into a musty, must must a must win game. Or you don't want to beg be back at 500 losing a home game to one of the few like genuine lottery teams in the West. Thankfully it's must lose for the Blazers. So this is going to work out pretty well. You'd be surprised. Don't put past them. But I just think over this stretch where they're going to have two games in 10 days,

Starting point is 00:12:05 a lot of this is going to be like the Hawks are in a lot of ways a great example of some of the things that kind of plague the Lakers. Because Trey Young, while he hit a couple huge shots late, and he did have 20 assists. It should be noted. It was also 9 of 25. He's had a weird season. Well, we've talked about this before. Like, I think both of us think he is kind of an overrated score. And he's definitely an overrated shooter.

Starting point is 00:12:35 Like he has thought, I mean, this game winner notwithstanding, he's thought of as like Steph Curry when it comes to a three point shooting. And he's not. And he's all. 35% career three point shooter. Right. And he's often been a very inefficient score. he is an extremely, I think, underrated facilitator and point guard.

Starting point is 00:12:56 He is averaging 12 assists the game. 12 assists the game this year, which is really impressive. But, you know, so the Lakers and Reda, this is another thing that frustrated Reddick. Like, part of the reason they started Vincent and they changed their coverages is they didn't want to be, you know, they did all these things to try to limit young as a passer and a score. Well, they got part of it, right? He was an inefficient score. But, you know, you look around and Jalen Johnson, who I think is the best player on that. team.

Starting point is 00:13:23 He finished with a pretty mild 12 points, you know, 10 rebounds, seven assists. Part of why he's so good is he's a stat stuffer. But he'd turn the ball over six times on. You know, you got 11 points from Daniels. Risha Say had 11 points, so he didn't light him up. So you go to the bench. They have DeAndre Hunter, 26 points. They have Boyan Bogdanovich, 20 points.

Starting point is 00:13:47 Akangu had 15 points. And look, I understand that they, The Lakers got 17 points between DeAngelo Russell and Max Christie. It's about all you're going to get when your other guys who play are Cam Reddish and Armelle Traori. You're not going to get a lot of offense from that. They're short a lot of players. But it is an illustration of the challenge that the Lakers face because the Hawks may not have the two best players on the floor in Anthony Davis and LeBron James, but they have arguably the next thing, six. You know, like they have meaningful depth.

Starting point is 00:14:21 The Lakers simply don't have. The guys at the end of their eight or nine-man rotation are significantly better than what the Lakers are putting out. And how they negotiate this until either players start coming back or they change the lineups, like change the players on the roster is going to be a big topic. So we'll get more into more of this stuff for following the game on Sunday and into Monday.

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Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Late Game Execution Costs the Lakers, Lose 134-132 in OT to Hawks

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