The inexperienced Lakers’ side almost pulled off a miracle. Taking on the healthy Denver Nuggets, the Austin Reaves-led team showed grit and passion, keeping Nikola Jokić & Co. on their feet throughout the game. However, a costly mistake at the end after Dalton Knecht’s scary fall restricted the team from closing out on the winning side. Well, it wasn’t anyone’s fault on the floor, but a major lapse from Coach JJ Redick. That’s what he believes. 

An act of compassion unfortunately led the LA side to defeat. Let me break it down for you. Up until the final two minutes of the game, it was an offensive back-and-forth between the two competitive teams, and the lead kept changing. However, Austin Reaves and the rookie sensation took control and put the team on the front.  

Around the one-minute mark, Austin Reaves stripped the ball from Jokic and passed a dime to Dalton Knecht in the fastbreak. The 23-year-old took off in a flash for a flush and, unfortunately, made an awkward fall, hitting his head hard on the floor. The Lakers were up by three and the Nuggets immediately took the timeout. This is where Redick made a costly error, and in the next possession, the Joker made a 3-point play.

Speaking about it, the 40-year-old coach said, “I think the play that Jokic got the ‘And 1’, I’ll take some ownership of that.” An act of kindness turned into a disaster. Redick continued, “Just ’cause that was a short timeout and I ran on the floor to check on DK (Knecht) and then I ran back. I didn’t have time to really get us the right substitutions and matchups that I would have wanted.”

DK was on the floor for a while and managed to get back on his feet. Meanwhile, the Nuggets were ready with a plan and the rest was history. The Siberian center foxed Christian Koloko on the paint and successfully drew a three-point play.

JJ Redick revealed Dalton Knecht’s injury update

“Very very proud of their fight. The way they started the game. The resilience they showed to get back in the game,” said Redick in the post-game. Moreover, he wasn’t upset with Koloko for letting Jokic get away with that game-tying play. He said, “That’s not a knock on CK. I just put him in the tough spot, knowing that Jokic was gonna go quick.” 

Maybe Jarred Vanderbilt could have been a better option to restrict the big man. Nevertheless, it is what it is. JJ Redick should have stayed on the bench and let the medical staff take care of the rookie. In a way, it showed the star coach’s passion and trust in his players. Redick ran up to check on Dalton and quickly returned to the bench after realizing that he had an important job left to do. 

Fortunately, Knecht, who stole the night with an impressive 32 points with 5 threes, didn’t get any serious injury. Speaking of the injury, Redick added, “His back and head are apparently okay. I guess he cramped on take-off.“ After this loss, the Lakers have dropped down to the 5th seed. This proved the level of competition in the West.

Next up, the team faces the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at home. Hopefully, some of the starters might return to the floor. Can the Lakers rise back again? Let us know in the comments below.