Apologetic Luka Doncic sends message to Lakers nation after losing in his Purple and Gold playoffs debut

Luka Doncic put on a show in his playoff debut for the LA Lakers, but it wasn’t enough as the team fell victim to a historic shooting display by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who grabbed Game 1 of their first-round series with a 117-95 victory.

Doncic dropped 37 points on 12-for-22 shooting but turned the ball over five times. He also collected eight rebounds but dished out only one assist — a mark he last recorded during Game 1 of last year’s NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

After the loss, the Slovenian guard expressed remorse to Lakers fans.

“It was a great atmosphere,” he said (per Lakers Daily). “Sorry we couldn’t get the first win.”

As reported by NBA.com, the opening game drew a crowd of 18,997 at Crypto.com Arena. But Minnesota brought the heat, torching the nets after knocking down 21 of their 42 attempts from deep — setting a new franchise playoff record.

Per SportsCenter, the Lakers’ 95-point total was their lowest in any of the 24 games LeBron James and Doncic have played together this season.

James contributed 19 points on 18 shots and ended with the worst plus-minus on the team at minus-22 in 36 minutes.

This was just the fourth time all year the Lakers shot below 40% from the floor — they’ve now lost three of those four. The team finished at 39.8%, with only Doncic (12-for-22) and Dalton Knecht (2-for-4) making at least half their shots.

They also struggled to get to the line, attempting just 16 free throws and hitting 14. By comparison, LA averaged 23.2 attempts per game in the regular season and went just 4-9 in contests with 16 or fewer trips.

Luka Doncic says he needs to pass more

With three high-usage ball handlers in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers often found rhythm during the regular season. But that trio faltered in Game 1.

They combined for only seven assists, with Doncic accounting for just one while coughing up five turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.2 was the lowest of his postseason career.

When asked postgame whether he needs to distribute the ball more, Luka Doncic replied:

“Yeah, sure. I don’t how to respond to that one really. Yeah, I gotta pass more.”

Game 2 between the Timberwolves and Lakers is set for Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.

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John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university’s official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant’s departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson’s record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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