Two nights before the Lakers’ collapse in San Francisco, JJ Redick praised Jarred Vanderbilt after a win over the Clippers. He said that he was “always gonna impact the game with just his effort.” On Friday, the Lakers’ coach left Chase Center with more questions about the officials than answers.
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“I tend to agree with what Chris (Finch) said the other day. We were all in Chicago and we all spoke about this. We all recognize that the fans want the offensive players to stop flopping. But all of our flopping fouls have been defensively,” Redick said after the Lakers lost 112-95 in their NBA Cup opener.
He blasted the lack of consistency in how officials call flopping, arguing the standards vary from crew to crew. He also pointed to Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, who was not penalized for a play that Redick felt looked similar.
“The reality for the officials is each crew is so different and what they interpret is so different… The explanation I got for the Podziemski play was that there was contact,” Redick continued. “But if you look at our flopping fouls that we’ve been called for defensively, there’s been contact. Whether or not there’s contact is irrelevant. We’re looking for something theatrical and extra.”
The calls landed in the middle of a collapse. The Lakers led by 25 points early in the second quarter, then dropped their record to 4-2 after the loss. Golden State won the second quarter 38-15 to tie the game at halftime. The Warriors made 22 three-pointers, twice the Lakers’ total, to avenge their 127-105 opening-night loss in Los Angeles.
JJ Redick didn’t put the loss entirely on the referees. He told reporters the Lakers lacked “problem solving” and “connectivity” during the collapse, and he gave the Warriors credit for hitting a lot of shots.
The numbers back up his read. The Lakers shot 5-for-22 from the field and 0-for-9 from three in the second quarter, and the Warriors’ 18-4 run turned a lead into a tie. Golden State’s bench outscored Los Angeles’ reserves 50-7. The Lakers took the lead again in the third, but scored just 15 points in the fourth and went more than four minutes without scoring early in the period. Stephen Curry scored 31 points and made eight of 14 threes, and Podziemski added 21.
Vanderbilt didn’t play in the Lakers’ first four games. He returned to the rotation against the Clippers because injuries to Luka Doncic and Ziaire Williams left the team short on depth.
The Lakers believe the officials are inconsistent, and Redick can point to the Podziemski play as an example. He also acknowledged that his team didn’t solve problems or stay connected once Golden State started making shots. “The consistency, we’re just still searching,” Redick said. He could have been talking about the whistles, or about a Lakers team that opened strong and then lost its rhythm.
Either way, his complaint is unlikely to change the standings, and the Lakers’ next test is finding the answer on their own.