The Crypto.com Arena saw a fight for survival in the NBA Cup. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder pushed the pace and played as if there was nothing beyond. It led to some unfortunate instances, the most concerning being Austin Reaves’ fall near halftime. While attempting a layup at the rim, both Hartenstein and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked to swallow the shot to keep their close edge intact.

The recoil of the duo sent the fan favorite to the floor, landing with great intensity. Visibly shaken, Reaves still managed to make free throws and run down a play. “He’s tough as nails,” as JJ Redick pointed. But the incident in itself became a polarizing issue in the NBA community. LeBron James, his teammate embraced the high-pressure environment the referees allowed to foster with them inviting physicality on the defensive end.

Redick, the head coach didn’t see any benefits from the ways of officiating. However, he did admit to the fear that loomed over an aspect of his career which was born due to the hit that Reaves took on the attempt. “Vantage point of the play was you know airborne player and he made a play on the ball and that’s why I stopped dunking very early in my life,” the Lakers head coach admitted.

Redick didn’t boast atomic athleticism to slash and dunk. However, he did have the ability to finish plays, it was just a calculated choice he made to potentially avoid any injury. Astonishingly, he only recorded a single dunk throughout the course of his career during the 2010-11 playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.

So don’t take what JJ Redick says with a grain of salt.

JJ Redick saw good things but feels the Lakers lost their way

Fending off the top team in the West would take a lot of ambition and yearning. The Lakers had that. Defensively, despite the slow start in the first quarter, they limited the Thunder to shooting just 40% from the field, their second-lowest conversion rate this season. The Lakers’ defense was disruptive, generating deflections and forcing tough shots from the seamless Thunder offense.

For the most part, even SGA had reached a point where his shot attempts and points nearly matched. Redick couldn’t go throw anything without praising the unit for their high-octane play on the defensive end.

“I think the biggest takeaway is we have a lot to build on defensively over the last two games. That was as connected as our group has been on that end of the floor since the first game of the season. Just really, really outstanding job on a lot of stuff we talked about,” he noted. In that regard, he felt the Lakers played “well enough” to overthrow the top seed.

Yet, a few plays ‘shot them in the foot’. In particular, there were several sloppy turnovers the Lakers committed which a quick team like the Thunder exploited. They scored 15 additional points off turnovers which came with the least resistance from the Purple and Gold defense. Then there were second-chance opportunities which OKC also won.

However, from a holistic perspective, the offense didn’t look bad. It just seemed as if the Lakers didn’t carry a lot of energy while attacking as they did while trying to get stops. It’s an area that can be fixed through meticulous study, a part of the game Redick obsesses over. Now, a tough road trip awaits.

Do you think the Lakers can overcome their struggles away from home considering they have lost three straight games at the Crypto.com Arena? Let us know your honest views in the comments below.