The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 to trail 3-0 in the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday, 131-108. They are one game away from being swept by the defending champions. However, the Lakers have not lost hope and are looking to get their first win of the series on Monday.
During Sunday’s practice, head coach JJ Redick was asked about a particular sequence with Deandre Ayton. Redick was asked about the fourth-quarter sequence with Ayton when the Lakers struggled to get a defensive stop and a defensive rebound. It was back-to-back plays for the Thunder where they secured the offensive board. In the first play, Ayton was called for the loose-ball foul, and OKC earned another possession. Following that, LA still couldn’t fight for the defensive rebound, and Ajay Mitchell drew a foul on the Lakers’ center.
After that, Ayton was subbed out of the game and did not return. The former No. 1 pick finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 23:32 minutes. The big man received criticism online for his lack of effort in a crucial postseason game.
JJ Redick Has Not Given Up on Deandre Ayton
When the sequence from Ayton was brought up to Redick, he played it down and spoke about the importance of the starting center. “I’ve been around DA for a season now,” Redick said. “I know how special he is for our group to succeed. And I told him this morning, I said to him in the Houston series, at one point he was the big part of the reason we were winning the series. “He was a big part of the reason we won the series. I believe in him and he’s going to help us win tomorrow.”
In the first round against the Houston Rockets, Ayton played a significant role. Through six games, he averaged 11.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks on 60.4% shooting. He also had a very productive performance in Game 5 with 18 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks.
Against the Thunder, however, his numbers have dropped. Through three games, Ayton has averaged 7.7 points and 9.3 rebounds on 39.3% shooting. In Game 2, the big man had three points on 14.3% shooting. Despite the struggles that he’s faced against OKC, Redick still trusts the big man to show up big time in Game 4.
