LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick did not have to search very far for the reason the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their first loss of the season.
The Lakers scored 129 points, shot 56.3 percent from the field and received another huge performance from Luka Dončić. None of it was enough because Los Angeles could not stop the Portland Trail Blazers.
After Portland’s 136-129 victory at Crypto.com Arena, Redick made his standard clear.
“If we score 129 points at home, we should be able to get enough stops to win,” Redick said.
That was the defining takeaway from his postgame availability. The Lakers’ offense produced more than enough to win. Their defense did not hold up its end.
Redick points to breakdowns in defensive discipline
Portland shot 59 percent from the field and made 18 of its 36 attempts from 3-point range. The Trail Blazers scored at least 32 points in every quarter and finished with 68 points in each half.
Redick credited Portland’s shot-making, but he also pointed directly at mistakes the Lakers can control.
“We just got broken down a lot,” Redick said. “I thought the game-plan discipline, KYP personnel discipline wasn’t where it needs to be.”
KYP means “know your personnel,” one of the basic requirements of NBA defense. Against Portland, that meant understanding which players could be helped off, recognizing the Trail Blazers’ preferred actions and staying connected to proven shooters.
The Lakers did not execute those details consistently enough. Deni Avdija and Ja Morant scored 23 points apiece, Jrue Holiday added 22 and Damian Lillard finished with 21. Portland also received 14 points from Robert Williams III and 12 from Toumani Camara.
Redick did not blame the fourth-quarter offense
Los Angeles still had opportunities late. Ziaire Williams hit a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 127-125 lead with 2:36 remaining, but Portland closed the game on an 11-2 run.
Redick said the Lakers generated the shots they wanted when Portland switched to a zone in the fourth quarter. Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle and Williams all received open looks, but the shots did not fall.
That was not Redick’s primary concern. An offense will miss open shots over the course of a season. The defense has to provide a margin for those stretches.
“I think we have to be able to rely on our defense every night,” Redick said.
An early lesson for the Lakers
Redick framed the loss as an early-season teaching opportunity for both the players and coaching staff. He said the Lakers must evaluate how the coaches can teach and scheme better while the players improve their execution.
That is a reasonable approach four games into the season, but the numbers make the issue difficult to dismiss. Los Angeles allowed Portland to shoot 50 percent from deep and send four players past the 20-point mark.
Dončić scored 41 points with nine assists, Austin Reaves added 26 points and seven assists, and the Lakers still lost at home.
Redick’s message was direct: Los Angeles cannot expect its stars to outscore every defensive mistake. If these Lakers want to contend, 129 points must be enough.