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JJ Redick Had Really Dark Comment About Opposing Teams Guarding Luka Doncic

Andy Nesbitt

Luka Doncic had 29 points and nine assists in the Lakers' win over the Clippers on Sunday night.
Luka Doncic had 29 points and nine assists in the Lakers' win over the Clippers on Sunday night. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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Luka Doncic and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers stayed red-hot Sunday night, beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-102, for their sixth straight win. Doncic led the way again, finishing with 29 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

The stunning trade that sent Doncic to the Lakers already looks like a ridiculously good move for JJ Redick's team, as they've now shot up to the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference.

After Sunday's win, Redick talked about the challenges opposing teams have with guarding Doncic, who can create his own shots and also set up teammates for easy buckets.

"The nature of playing with Luka Doncic, and we knew this when we traded for him, and again this is why you always have to be adaptable as a coach, the nature of playing with Luka Doncic is if you play drop coverage against him you’re going to die," Redick said. "So teams are going to blitz. We have to better and we’re going to figure that out. It helps when you can play all shooting lineups. I’m not concerned about that."

The Clippers often tried to blitz Doncic when he had the ball and he was able to get other guys, like Dalton Knecht (who had 19 points in the win), involved.

The Lakers are still figuring out the best ways to play with Doncic, which is probably bad news for the rest of the league because they're likely only going to get better and more comfortable in the coming weeks.

All of which makes Dallas' decision to trade him to Los Angeles even more baffling.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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