JJ Redick lost it on the Lakers bench
The Lakers hit rock bottom on Tuesday night. Down 36 to the Thunder in what became a 123-87 embarrassment, head coach JJ Redick subbed out Jarred Vanderbilt just 16 seconds into the second quarter. Vanderbilt wasn't having it — he got in Redick's face near the free throw line while the coach was trying to diagram a play.
Austin Reaves, in street clothes nursing an oblique strain, and assistant coach Nate McMillan had to physically step between the two. Redick later benched Vanderbilt for the rest of the game — he finished with 3 points in 5 minutes.
"It's nothing personal with him. Normal stuff from my end," Redick said postgame. But there's nothing normal about this Lakers season. With LeBron, Luka, Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Jaxson Hayes all out, LA is running a skeleton crew into the ground. The Thunder swept the season series and have won 18 of their last 19. The gap between these two franchises has never felt wider.