The Denver Nuggets seem to have cracked the code against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have lost 13 of their 14 previous games against the Nuggets. Have they toyed with LeBron James and Co.’s psyche? Because at halftime they were leading. What started as a close game quickly turned into a decisive loss in just a few minutes. It was a rough second half for the LA side, as they couldn’t stop the Nuggets’ momentum, which ultimately sealed their fate.

Well, the Lakers boss JJ Redick has said after re-watching the tapes, that the third quarter is where they lost. He mentioned that the team discussed the issue this morning and is confident that this loss will remain an “aberration.” The rookie boss believed it wouldn’t be a recurring problem moving forward.

Hmm, have we heard this before? Yes, we have.

Following his comments, fans have quickly pointed out when they’ve heard this before.

Lakers Nation has had enough of the same excuse from “Ham 2.0”, they need solutions

One user, seemingly upset, wrote, “A few weeks ago he was asked why his team was blown out. He said his team didn’t come out for the 3rd quarter and it won’t happen again. Seems like they did it worse this time, but I’m sure we won’t see it again. This guy is about to be badly exposed.” 

The Lakers boss had used the same reason for their loss against the Golden State Warriors. In his breakdown of the third quarter, JJ Redick emphasized how the Lakers veered off course with their offensive game plan. As the team struggled after halftime, he pointed to a lack of trust in their strategies, which caused their downfall during crucial moments.

Another user tweeted, “Yeah heard that before, lmao. Not getting my hopes up this time!”. Well, because after Redick analyzed the reason after the preseason loss, just 2 days later they got thrashed again by the Warriors. I use ‘thrashed’ because the final score was 132-74. Welp, I’d have trust issues as well, in fact, who wouldn’t?

The Lakers’ 3rd quarter woes have been known for a long time now. But there seems to be no solution.

A frustrated netizen wrote “We already hear it so many times everytime we play the 3rdq awfully!hopefully this year we can change this thing around” From their recent outing it doesn’t seem like they’ll change things around. The Nuggets dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 37-15. Austin Reaves put it best, “Yeah, tonight they beat the s–t out of us!”

One user rightly pointed out “Did JJ watch Lakers against Denver last season? That ALWAYS happens. They folded every 3rd or 4th quarter. Giving up HUGE runs and just looking completly over matched”. 

The Lakers rank 21st in 3rd quarter points per game.

In 2022 they were ranked 17th in third-quarter scoring, averaging just 25.6 points. Meanwhile, they were also giving up the most points in the league during the third quarter, allowing 30.7 points per game. So not much has changed with JJ’s arrival.

Another user even dared to compare him with Darvin Ham. They said, “Podcaster hot takes. Fake basketball coach. This literally happened over and over again but this is a “one off” that will not happen again? Ham 2.0”. You think JJ Redick might have learned from Darvin Ham’s mistakes, but that is totally not the case and their 3rd quarter woes continue.