EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted that fourth-quarter struggles have been "a trend" for his team as it's fallen behind 3-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
However, he didn't put the blame for Sunday's Game 4 loss -- when L.A. scored 19 points on 5-for-18 shooting in the fourth quarter, including 3-for-9 in the last five minutes -- on his rotation.
Redick became the first coach to use the same five players for an entire half of a playoff game since at least 1998, as far back as the substitution tracking goes, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.