Luka Doncic didn’t hide from the Lakers’ mess on Friday night.
Even with a huge scoring night, the Los Angeles star ended up staring at the same ugly result as everyone else: a 112-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors after the Lakers blew a 25-point lead. Doncic finished with 37 points, but the number that mattered most was the one on the scoreboard at the end.
The game started like another Doncic showcase. He poured in 21 points in the first quarter alone and kept the pressure on all night. But after that opening burst, he managed just 16 points over the final three quarters, and the Lakers never recovered once Golden State turned the game around.
Doncic also spent part of the night on the wrong end of a Stephen Curry ankle-breaker, a rough moment in a game that already slipped away from Los Angeles. He may have won his individual matchup with his newfound rival, Yaxel Lendeborg, but that didn’t change the bigger picture.
That’s why Doncic made it clear he was owning the loss.
"I don't know what it's going to take, obviously reps, just playing these games. The Warriors are a good example; they play defense, they shock a lot, so it was a good game for us.
Not good because we lost, but it's gonna take time for sure. I really like playing with these guys.
Me first. I got to be better.
We lose together, we win together," Doncic said about the Lakers' loss to the Warriors.
The Lakers’ collapse only added to the concern around a team that let a massive lead disappear. Doncic knows it. Austin Reaves seems to know it too, since he also took accountability after the defeat.
For Los Angeles, the message from its top players is simple: the talent is there, but the group has to tighten up, and the supporting cast has to give them more. The stars are willing to lead. Now the rest of the roster has to meet them there.
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