JJ Redick explains why LeBron James took the decisive FT against the Suns
The Los Angeles Lakers breathed a sigh of relief after nearly blowing a 20-point lead against the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Sunday. The Lakers escaped with a two-point victory, 116-114, to get back into the win column.
There were some scary moments for the purple and gold, especially after Dillon Brooks hit a 3-pointer, 114-113, with just 12.2 seconds left. Fortunately for the Lakers, Brooks was called for a technical foul after hitting James.
40-year-old James went to the line to shoot a technical free throw, but missed. He made up for it, however, by making two of three free throws after Devin Booker fouled him from beyond the arc with just three seconds left.
Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted that he was surprised that James made a technical free throw.
“The guys were on the court, Luka and I were talking, I thought Luka was going to shoot, I went back (to the bench), LeBron was at the free throw line and shot. I don’t know what the dialogue was on the court,” Redick said after the game.
“At the beginning of the season, we kind of determined who was going to shoot the technicals. Every team is different. Sometimes it’s a superstar, sometimes it’s the best free throw shooter, sometimes it’s a guy who maybe needs to see the ball go into the basket. It’s all situational. But Luka should have shot it.”
JJ thought Luca was going to shoot the technical ft pic.twitter.com/FbhhSmvPPf
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) December 15, 2025
James finished with 26 points, shooting 9 of 14. He also had a block against Grayson Allen.
Luka Dončić led the Lakers with 29 points, including 13 of 14 free throws. He struggled from the field, however, shooting 7-of-25.
Despite the irregular ending, James said they “had the last laugh” against the Sunsattributing their physicality.
2025-12-15 06:29:00
