LA Lakers coach JJ Redick didn't mince words about what he perceived as his team's lack of progress after suffering a loss in Luka Doncic's preseason debut on Tuesday. It was the Lakers' third defeat and the second against the Phoenix Suns, who were without Devin Booker and other starters.The Lakers started well behind a fiery run from Doncic and Austin Reaves. But as the game progressed, the Suns caught up. The Lakers struggled to match Phoenix's tenacity and eventually paid the price with a 113-104 loss.Redick credited the team for doing well on certain occasions but said they lacked consistency."If you wanna be a good team, you have to do it every single time," Redick said. "You gotta do the right thing every single time. That's where I don't think any of the groups tonight were as consistent as they need to be."JJ Redick said the Lakers took a few steps forward defensively against the Warriors on Sunday, but then took a step backward against the Suns."That's a little bit frustrating," he added.One of the biggest issues with the Lakers is their lack of effective transition defense. In four games, LA has allowed 24.8 points off turnovers and 18.8 fast-break points, both in the bottom five.Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves tandem shows encouraging signs for shorthanded LakersThe Lakers have yet to see their core players take the court together in the preseason. That won't be possible anymore with LeBron James sidelined due to sciatica. With just two games left, they have yet to test the rest of the core together sans James. Luka Doncic played his first game, but LA was without primary rotation players, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent on Sunday.Nevertheless, Doncic got quality time on the floor with Austin Reaves, his up-and-coming co-star for the foreseeable future. The Lakers' backcourt duo wreaked havoc offensively against Phoenix, scoring 25 points apiece. Doncic added seven rebounds and four assists, shooting 7 of 15, including 4-for-8 from 3.Reaves added four rebounds and two assists on 8 of 16 shooting. Both got to the free-throw line, with Doncic taking nine attempts and Reaves eight. That was an encouraging sign for the Lakers, as this duo has to carry the team over the next month while James recovers.There were questions about the duo's ability to deliver together, but Tuesday's execution has quashed some of those concerns.