Max Christie on his reckless error late in Friday’s loss to the Thunder

On November 30, 2024By Littum

The Los Angeles Lakers made a number of mistakes in their 101-93 loss on Friday Oklahoma City Thunderbut one of them seems to stand out more than the others.

With 22.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers down 95-93, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove the lane. Los Angeles guard Max Christie fouled him in a way that suggested Christie thought LA had a foul to give. But the team did not, and thus Gilgeous-Alexander was given two free throws, both of which he made.

Head coach JJ Redick said afterward that Christie looked at him during the defensive possession and he gave Christie a sign that Christie may have misunderstood.

JJ Redick said he’s not sure if Max Christie thought the Lakers had a foul to give. But he said Christie looked at him, Redick told him the defensive coverage and that Christie might have interpreted that as a sign of foul play.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) 30 November 2024

Christie said he misinterpreted Redick’s signal and he took responsibility for making the bad mistake.

Had Christie not pursued Gilgeous-Alexander, the Lakers might have gotten a defensive stop and rebound, giving them a chance to tie or win the game. Instead, their record has dropped to 11-8, and while they sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, they have now lost four of their last five games after winning six in a row.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Max Christie on his reckless error late in Friday’s loss to the Thunder