Luka Doncic Sums Up Main Reason For Lakers’ Loss With Stark 6-Word Comment
Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard/forward Luka Doncic fought through a back injury to score 28 points, nearly notching a triple double on Wednesday as the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by coach Chris Finch’s Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers’ loss came as Rudy Gobert demolished Los Angeles in the paint and Julius Randle teamed up with the French big man to score 11 fourth quarter points of his own, sealing LA’s fate.
Afterward, Doncic was roasted by Charles Barkley and others for his alleged lack of defense. The Lakers’ trade acquisition had a six-word take when asked by reporters about what went wrong as the Lakers’ potential dream season crumbled to ashes.
“They were the better team, obviously,” Doncic said according to ESPN.
Doncic appeared to have loads of trouble keeping up with the Timberwolves’ backcourt and forwards as he was blown by several times for easy scores.
His back injury caused him to briefly head for the locker room prior to the Lakers’ 10-point halftime deficit.
A strong third quarter closed the distance, but Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Randle and others were too much as the Lakers were left to wonder what went wrong in front of a deflated crowd at Crypto.com Arena.
Luka Doncic, who was eliminated in the first round with the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves, lamented the early end to his campaign and admitted that they were not sharp either individually or collectively.
“Obviously there is sadness. I didn’t play as I should have and as a team we didn’t play as we could,” he said at a press conference. “But congratulations to Minnesota: they played an extraordinary series. They were the better team, honestly.”
The Lakers were eliminated 4-1 in their first-round series against the Timberwolves, who won 96-103 in Game 5 of the series in Los Angeles.
Doncic scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out nine assists despite playing the entire second half with discomfort from a fall before the break.
The point guard is eligible for an extension with the Lakers this summer and on Tuesday night he assured that he has “not thought about that yet,” but at the same time he was very satisfied with his time with the purple and gold franchise and also noted that he is looking forward to having a full preseason with the team.
“It has been great, honestly. The way the fans have embraced me has been incredible,” he said. “The way the community has embraced me has been incredible. I’m really happy to be here.”
“I wouldn’t say pressure but it’s an honor to represent one of the best teams in the world. It’s an honor to represent the Lakers,” he said.
In addition, the Slovenian had words of praise for his coach JJ Redick.
“I think he’s an extraordinary coach. There are not many coaches who do what he did in his first year (…). Sometimes it feels like I’m in Europe a little bit so I love it. We have a great bond. It’s been incredible with him as a coach,” he said.