“Luka Magic” hasn’t been so enchanting just lately — and it’s coming on the worst time for his new staff.
Lakers celebrity Luka Doncic had a horrific exhibiting by his requirements on Thursday evening when Los Angeles dropped a pivotal Western Convention matchup to the Warriors, 123-116.
Doncic, who scored simply 19 factors, took accountability for the loss as he watched operating mates LeBron James and Austin Reaves every rating 30-plus.
“That performance by me is unacceptable,” Doncic instructed reporters postgame after a tough 6-for-17 taking pictures evening from the sector, which included 0-for-6 from 3-point vary.
Coach JJ Redick echoed that sentiment after the sport.
“It wasn’t his night,” Redick mentioned after the sport.
Doncic had an opportunity to make it proper within the sport’s remaining minute.
After a Reaves’ 3-pointer to slim the rating to 119-113 with simply 58.1 seconds left, Los Angeles compelled a Warriors missed shot the place Doncic was given the ball.
When driving to the lane for a layup, Doncic had the ball knocked free by Defensive Participant of the 12 months candidate Draymond Inexperienced.
On the following possession, James compelled an errant move from Inexperienced, which was collected by the Lakers, the place function participant Dorian Finney-Smith appeared to have a miscommunication with Doncic and turned the ball over, sealing their destiny.
The poor efficiency from Doncic has been the development for the Lakers just lately.
He has had an especially inconsistent soar shot, notably from past the arc in current video games, taking pictures simply 3-for-22 in his previous three video games.
The Lakers acquired Doncic in trade for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round draft decide in a stunning February commerce deadline deal that set the NBA world ablaze with curiosity about how it could work out.
Doncic is undoubtedly in poor kind proper now and had been beforehand criticized by his former Mavericks staff for being off form; Nevertheless, he has performed 38 minutes in every of the final six video games.
The loss dropped the Lakers to the No. 4 seed in a tightly bunched Western Convention, the place Los Angeles might land wherever from the second seed to having to be concerned within the play-in video games in the event that they drop under sixth.
Solely two video games separate the Lakers from the Clippers, who sit in eighth place.
Los Angeles is at the moment set as much as face the new-look Warriors in a high-profile 4-5 matchup. Golden State is now 20-5 since they acquired star wing Jimmy Butler from the Warmth.
Removed from assured to outlive even that sequence, the Lakers would then line as much as face a No. 1 seed Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, a staff that has a league-best 64-12 file.
The assassin’s row of a playoff path is just not a sustainable roadmap to success, contemplating the Thunder have the league’s finest internet ranking (14.1) because the All-Star break, whereas the Warriors are second finest (9.6), adopted by the reigning champion Celtics (8.7).
Los Angeles has one other litmus take a look at on faucet as they face the Thunder on Sunday.
