J. J. Redick’s bizarre coaching decision may have cost Lakers the series

The Minnesota Timberwolves rallied late on to clinch a 113-116 win over the LA Lakers on Sunday, giving them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

The Timberwolves came on strongly in the fourth quarter, putting up 32 points to the Lakers’ 19. That disparity suggests that the Lakers players may have been struggling physically and points to a potential error on the part of head coach J. J. Reddick.

The rookie coach opted not to make a single change during the second half in Game 4, playing the quintet for LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith for the entire third and fourth quarters.

In doing so, Redick became the first coach in the play-by-play era to play five players for an entire half of a postseason game. Given that a 40-year-old James and recently-ill Doncic were included in that five, it’s little surprise that they ran out of steam.

Now, the Lakers return to Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday knowing that they need a victory to keep the series and their playoff hopes alive. With a 3-1 series deficit there is no longer any room for failure and Redick may have worn out his star players with three games still to go in the series.

Redick, however, felt aggrieved with the officiating. Speaking to reporters after the game, he argued that Luka Doncic had been tripped with just 33 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter.

“To start with, Luka got tripped,” Redick insisted. “That was a blatant trip. He doesn’t just fall on his own. We re-watched it, he gets tripped. So we should have been at the free throw line. It’s not an excuse for why we lost, but he got fouled. We had a chance to go up.”

That will provide little relief for Lakers fans who are staring down the barrel of a second consecutive first round exit. If Redick is unable to turn the tide of this series, his controversial Game 4 decisions may be cited as a key factor.

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