MILWAUKEE —
Regardless of previous tensions and public criticisms, Bucks coach Doc Rivers and Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned there are not any unhealthy emotions between them.
“We’re fine,” Redick mentioned pregame Thursday. “I don’t carry beef with people. And I’m not going to get into the history of Doc and I’s relationship right now. And I probably won’t ever. He’s fine in my book.”
Redick would go on to beat Rivers and the Bucks 107-102 for the Lakers’ first win of the preseason.
Throughout a media look final season on ESPN, Redick pointedly questioned Rivers’ sense of accountability after Rivers talked about difficulties in taking the Milwaukee job midseason.
“I’ve seen the trend for years,” Redick mentioned on “First Take.” “The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of a season is hard. It’s hard. We get it. It’s hard. … But it’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus.”
Redick mentioned Thursday that he apologized for the tone of his feedback, which ESPN posted on YouTube underneath the headline “JJ Redick goes SCORCHED EARTH on Doc Rivers for making excuses!”
“It’s never been really (an issue) for me,” Rivers mentioned. “It’s been one way, and I’ve said this many times. And… take JJ off the board, coaches, they, pour into players. They really do. They pour in a ton of love to players. And oftentimes that love is rejected, it’s just the way it is.”
Rivers mentioned he anticipated Redick’s Lakers to be robust when it got here to “execution.”
Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers watches throughout a sport towards the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
(Jose Juarez / Related Press)
“I think probably execution stuff because that’s what we were known for when he played for me. Ran a lot of it,” Rivers mentioned. “As a matter of fact, I watched the first two games and many of the sets we ran with the Clippers, the Lakers are running now. … I did the same thing as a player. You run what you know well and what you like. … My guess is that JJ will probably take from all the coaches he played for.”
Rivers mentioned that he’s empathetic for his high assistant, former Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who has been seen by some as receiving oblique criticism any time a participant says one thing optimistic in regards to the Lakers’ vibes or group this preseason.
“There’s heartbreak for coaches. Darvin’s dealing with that a little bit,” Rivers mentioned. “He sees guys make comments now that he poured into. It’s not right. But that’s just what happens in this part of our job. We know that going into it.”
Thursday, the Lakers have been with out Austin Reaves due to ankle soreness. Redick mentioned the problem wasn’t a priority. The workforce additionally saved minute limits on Max Christie, Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish.
LeBron James, like he did on Sunday in Palm Desert towards Phoenix, performed solely the primary half. He scored 11 factors to go together with six rebounds and 4 assists. Anthony Davis, who performed into the third quarter, had 11 factors and eight rebounds to go together with three blocks.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 15 within the fourth quarter earlier than a 20-0 run by rookie Dalton Knecht and the Lakers’ deep bench pushed them to the win.
