JJ Redick Takes Blame for Lakers' Loss to Suns; Anthony Davis Says 'He's Pissed'

JJ Redick shouldered the blame for his first loss as an NBA head coach when the Los Angeles Lakers were defeated 109-105 by the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Redick said any nitpicks about the loss should "probably" be directed toward him and specifically point to their 14-point second quarter as an issue he should never have let happen:

"We should never have a 14-point quarter. So that's on me as well. Part of that is me. I gotta make sure we're running good offense. I felt like it was a little random. We got stalled out. We talked about it at halftime. For us to be a high-level offense, we gotta move bodies and we gotta move the ball. They gotta screen. They just kinda took us out of what we were doing initially, and we were great in the second half. We executed great in the second half. It's just that second quarter really hurt us."

Anthony Davis, who recorded his second double-double of the season, said "he's pissed" when asked about Redick's demeanor after the loss. That was a common sentiment from several Lakers players in the locker room.

The game started out looking like it would be fairly easy for the Lakers. Davis scored 16 of the Lakers' 34 points in the first quarter and they led by nine, but the Suns stormed back after he went to the bench to start the second period.

Los Angeles scored just four points in the four minutes, 28 seconds that Davis was off the floor. The Lakers shot 6-of-22 overall in the quarter, as the Suns took a 50-48 lead going into halftime.

The third quarter looked a lot like the first with the Lakers scoring 35 points, but they slowed down once again when Davis was on the bench at the start of the fourth. They scored three points in just under four minutes without their All-Star forward.

Los Angeles did have a chance to tie the game at 107 in the final minute, but Austin Reaves was unable to connect on a three-point attempt.

When the Lakers defeated Phoenix in Los Angeles on Oct. 25, LeBron James said it was "very important" for them that Davis is the "main focal point" every game.

Davis did his part in the rematch with the Suns on Monday. He finished with 29 points on 12-of-24 shooting, 15 rebounds, three blocks and three assists in 36 minutes.

The non-Davis Lakers shot 38.6 percent from the field (27-of-70). James' streak of consecutive games with at least 10 points was in danger until he made a three with 1:58 remaining that cut Los Angeles' deficit to 105-104. He added a free throw later to finish with 11 points.

Despite the loss, the Lakers are off to a strong 3-1 start. They will continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.