The Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak came to an unspectacular end Monday night, as the Phoenix Suns rolled into LA and handed them a 125-108 blowout. The Lakers struggled mightily, committing a staggering 22 turnovers, and head coach JJ Redick didn’t hold back in his postgame criticism, even drawing a Space Jam reference.
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JJ Redick Doesn’t Hold Back in Postgame Critique
The Lakers had been impressive to start the season, further boosted by LeBron James’ return from injury. On Monday, they were strong in nearly every area, except ball protection. Their inability to take care of the basketball ultimately doomed them, ending their seven-game win streak.
It was an uncharacteristic performance compared to their recent form, which is why Redick resorted to a Space Jam reference when describing the loss.
“Maybe there was brain fog from three in four nights, I don’t know. I don’t remember ever talking about going under versus lasers and [Collin] Gillespie’s making threes and Royce O’Neal’s making threes, I don’t know. It’s a weird sort of thing,” Redick said.
“It’s like the Monstars taking over people that you’ve grown to coach, and they’re not doing anything that they normally do. It’s weird,” he added.
JJ Redick:
“It’s like the Monstars taking over the people that you’ve grown to coach and they’re not doing anything that they normally do. It’s weird” pic.twitter.com/APXqmVujNZ
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 2, 2025
Turnovers were the decisive factor. The Lakers committed 22 turnovers compared to the Suns’ 11, despite being aware that Phoenix averaged an NBA-high 10.6 steals per game heading into the game.
Luka Dončić led the team with 38 points and 11 rebounds, but also had nine turnovers and took responsibility for the mistakes.
“Yeah, that was my fault. No way I can have nine turnovers in the game,” said Dončić. “So in that second quarter… they’re giving the shots, (so) instead of shooting the ball, I feel like I was trying to get (everyone) involved. But there’s no way I should have nine turnovers.”
Austin Reaves was nearly as error-prone, turning it over five times while scoring just 16 points in 33 minutes.
“I dribbled the ball literally out of bounds one time,” said Reaves. “I’ve done it before. I did it tonight and at some point I’ll probably do it again. … I was bad in that aspect, so I gotta be better.”
Meanwhile, James extended his regular-season double-figure scoring streak to 1,297 games, though he also added three turnovers.
While this loss was unusual for Los Angeles, it comes at a critical juncture as the team embarks on a tough East Coast road trip: three games in four nights against opponents all above .500, and Monday’s defeat should thus serve as a wake-up call.
The trip begins Thursday against the 14-7 Toronto Raptors, followed by a Friday clash with the 11-9 Boston Celtics, and concludes Sunday against the 10-9 Philadelphia 76ers.