Luka Doncic has the Los Angeles Lakers in prime position to make a deep playoff run as his presence has elevated the team’s offense to new levels.
Doncic is a one-man engine who can generate a good look every time down the floor, making him nearly impossible to defend against. However, Doncic was far from his normal self as he turned in arguably his worst performance since becoming a Laker in the loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
The Lakers star scored only 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting including 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. Doncic also snapped his streak of 114 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer. On a night when the Lakers needed more for him offensively, he surprisingly came up short.
After the loss, Doncic took responsibility for his poor performance against the Warriors.
“I think they were playing great defense. I think we didn’t play with enough stress, especially me, so that performance for me is unacceptable. When I play like that, it makes it harder for the team to win. So just gotta figure that out,” Doncic said.
Doncic understands how important he is to the Lakers’ success and losses like the ones to the Warriors hit especially hard considering the implications on the standings.
“I mean, very, it’s always frustrating when you can’t help your team,” he said. “Something like that, and it’s not always about scoring. You can do some other stuff on the court. Assists, rebounds, defense, all of that. So I’m trying to help in other ways.”
The Lakers could’ve solidified their spot as the No. 3 seed and given them a shot to overtake the Houston Rockets for No. 2. Instead, L.A. fell back down to No. 4 while the Warriors went up to No. 5, which would set up a first round matchup between the two teams, although a lot could of course change in the next couple of weeks.
Despite Doncic’s rough offensive outing, Los Angeles managed to battle back in the final moments of the fourth quarter. The Lakers, for a moment, looked like they were going to complete their comeback but the Warriors continued to answer the call to keep them at bay.
Golden State, like Los Angeles, is considered a massive wild card in the playoffs as the Jimmy Butler and Doncic additions have transformed their respective teams. Both stars had quiet offensive nights in this matchup, though Butler offers far more value on the defensive end.
This should be considered a blip for Doncic as he’s begun to look more and more like himself, though it is a little concerning that this performance came against a likely playoff opponent. For now, though, all Doncic and the purple and gold can do is respond with a win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
LeBron James discusses willingness to sacrifice for Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic
LeBron James has fully ceded control of the Lakers’ offense to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and he discussed his willingness to do so on “Mind the Game.”
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