Luka Doncic has been the engine driving the Los Angeles Lakers’ success during the 2025-26 season.
Doncic is proving to the rest of the league that he’s still one of the best players on the planet as he’s been explosive scoring the basketball. With his new-and-improved physique and a better understanding of what head coach JJ Redick wants to do, Doncic has resembled the global superstar the Lakers hoped they were getting when they traded for him last year.
While Luka has been basically unguardable this season, he’s still prone to the occasional rough shooting night and that was exactly the case against the Milwaukee Bucks. Doncic was uncharacteristically off shooting the basketball from inside the arc and as a result the Bucks were able to build a double-digit lead.
Los Angeles was able to come back in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t quite get over the hump as they ended up losing 105-101.
It looks like Doncic was frustrated with the officiating and lack of calls throughout the game, but he didn’t want to use that as an excuse for his poor play.
“No, it didn’t affect me. I think I missed the shots I usually make,” Doncic said. “Those little floaters in the paint, I work on that a lot. Just today, it was a terrible day for me.”
Not only was Doncic inefficient from the field, he also fouled out of the game after getting under Kevin Porter Jr. on a 3-point attempt in the final minute that wound up leading to the game-winning free throws.
“I think we missed a couple good shots down the stretch. Then I fouled, I had six fouls. First time in a long time, so that’s when we can’t foul on the 3-pointer… I don’t think he shoots like that. The referee said it was a foul, so I guess it’s a foul,” Doncic said when asked about the play.
Luka shot a solid 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, but went 8-of-25 overall. He also didn’t help himself from the free throw line as he only managed to go 4-of-8. It was without a doubt Doncic’s worst offensive performance of the season and perhaps it was apt that he wound up fouling out of the game.
The bright side to this is it’s hard to imagine the Slovenian star having another rough outing like this. A game on Monday against the Sacramento Kings could be the perfect pick-me-up for Doncic and the rest of the Lakers.
Luka Doncic appreciative of being leading vote-getter for NBA All-Star Game
With how well Doncic has been playing during the 2025-26 season, he’s a lock to represent the Lakers at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles at Intuit Dome.
Luka was named the leading vote-getter after the latest round of votes and he expressed his appreciation to the fans for putting him in position to make the All-Star Game.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
