The Los Angeles Lakers had been looking for a signature win against a quality opponent, and they finally got one on Sunday afternoon with a wire-to-wire victory over the New York Knicks at home.
As usual, Luka Doncic led the way with 35 points, but it was really the Lakers’ defense that won the game. They held one of the top offenses in the league to just 97 points, limiting them to 43% shooting while forcing 18 turnovers.
It’s no secret that the Lakers’ defense has struggled for most of the year, but Doncic was pleased with how they performed against New York.
“It was great. At the start of the game, I think everybody was really locked in, especially on the defensive end,” the superstar said after the win. “I think we did a great job of holding a team like the New York Knicks under 100, it’s pretty amazing for us.”
The Lakers have begun to show improvements on the defensive side of the ball and Doncic explained why he thinks that’s the case.
“I think we just talked about it during the season, that we definitely need to be a better defensive team,” he said. “And I think we’ve shown we can do it. We told on ourselves, so we gotta keep doing that.”
The Lakers have now won five of their last six games and are just one game out of the third seed in the Western Conference. Despite that, they hadn’t really beaten many good teams before the Knicks game, which is why Doncic feels they can use the win as a confidence booster.
“It’s a pretty awesome win, for sure,” Doncic said. “They just beat the Nuggets by 40, so I think it’s a pretty good win for us. Gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.”
The Lakers’ schedule will only continue to get tougher moving forward, so hopefully what Doncic said is true and they can gain confidence from Sunday’s win.
Luka Doncic following Lakers teammates’ lead on defense
The Lakers have taken more charges than any team in the league this season by a wide margin, and Doncic has gotten in on the fun. He ranks sixth in the league with 12, and he said he is just trying to be like Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves.
“JJ mentioned it before the season. I think we’re number one in charges, which is pretty awesome. So just trying to copy Marcus and AR.”
Smart currently ranks third in the league with 16 charges while Reaves ranks fifth with 14.
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!
