Luka Doncic had 38 points on Sunday in the LA Lakers’ 116-113 Game 4 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The No. 3 seed Lakers are on the brink of elimination in the first round after back-to-back losses in Minnesota. While Doncic has dazzled on offense, he has taken flak for his defensive shortcomings.
On Monday’s episode of The Ringer, Zach Lowe had this to say about Doncic:
“Why do you have to get humiliated at the beginning of every single playoff series before you show the world like, ‘Yeah, I can actually put in a little bit of more of an effort on defense.’ If you go back and watch Game 1 and 2 of that Phoenix series, he is so bad defensively that it’s laughable and then all of a sudden he becomes passable.”
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Lowe recalled Luka Doncic’s poor defense in the 2022 semifinals against the Phoenix Suns. The then Dallas Mavericks superstar eventually willed his team to a 4-3 series win, but not before stepping up defensively.
The NBA insider noted that Doncic could be following the same route now that he is with the LA Lakers. Lowe said that four games into the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Slovenian has been “just helpless” defensively.
Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo have had the green light to attack when facing Doncic on defense. The strategy has worked for long stretches as the Timberwolves are now a win away from moving into the second round.
Luka Doncic had a chance to drag the LA Lakers to a Game 4 win
Luka Doncic went 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter of Game 4 but still finished with seven points by living at the free-throw line. Despite the rough-shooting night, he still had a chance to drag the LA Lakers to a series-tying win.
With 33 seconds left in the final frame, he collided with Jaden McDaniels, forcing him to crash to the floor to call a timeout. The NBA reported on Monday that McDaniels should have been called for a foul for tripping Doncic.
Had the referees called the play right, Luka Doncic would have gone to the free throw line, where he was 5-for-5 in the fourth quarter. The Lakers would have taken a 114-113 lead had Doncic made two free throws.
Instead, the Timberwolves stole the ball in the next possession following the Lakers’ timeout. LeBron James’ inbounds pass intended for Doncic was deflected by Jaden McDaniels. Julius Randle grabbed the loose ball and set the stage for Anthony Edwards’ heroics.
alt=”Michael Macasero” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Michael Macasero
