LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick knew that the Lakers were unlikely to immediately recapture the rhythm they were playing with from a few weeks ago.
Even with the excitement of, hopefully, having their full rotation available for the last three weeks of the regular season, Redick is aware that it’s going to take time to build chemistry and familiarity after having just a handful of games with Luka Doncic at the helm before multiple starters missed time with injuries.
Saturday’s homestand-ending 146-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls showcased the strides the Lakers are going to have to make during the season’s final stretch – and old issues appearing for at least one night.
“The disposition and the mentality, I don’t know if we assume because we had everybody back that it was just gonna be like it was three weeks ago, and that’s just not the way this works,” Redick said. “The guys know that. And I’m not saying that’s what they assumed.
“The thing that we have talked about all season long, though, is grace. And so the group inherently gets some grace for what this last three weeks has looked like. And it’s not an excuse. It’s just the nature of where a group felt very connected and then you lose some games on the road, you have some injuries, all that stuff.”
With LeBron James and Rui Hachimura returning to the floor after being sidelined for seven and 12 games, respectively, the Lakers (43-27) played with a disjointedness that can be associated with unfamiliarity.
They turned the ball over frequently (21 giveaways for 27 Bulls’ points).
Even with great shotmaking from Doncic (34 points, eight rebounds and six assists) and Austin Reaves (25 points, five assists), with the duo combining for 19-of-31 shooting from the field and 11 for 20 on 3-pointers, the Lakers struggled to find their offensive flow.
And their transition defense was well below their standard, with the Bulls (31-40) finishing with 30 fastbreak points after they consistently got to the rim or the shots they wanted with ease in the open floor.
“We gave em a little bit of everything,” James said. “Gave ’em points in the paint. We gave ’em fast break points and we gave ’em 3s. We can’t give everything.”
And once the Bulls found their rhythm from beyond the arc in the second half, making 14 of their 19 3-point attempts (73.9%) in the final two quarters, the Lakers didn’t stand a chance, dropping their second consecutive home game after previously winning nine straight.
James finished with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes in his first game since March 8.
Doncic had seven turnovers while James finished with five.
Hachimura had five points and two rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench in his first game since Feb. 27.
Coby White led the Bulls with a game-best 36 points, while rookie wing Matas Buzelis finished with a career-high 31 points.
Josh Giddey nearly finished with a quadruple-double, recording 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and eight steals.
“You gotta get reconnected. And that’s where our group. We’ll get there. We, however, don’t have a lot of time to do that. And it’s gotta be now. It can’t be in a week. It can’t be in two weeks. It’s it’s gotta be now.
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