Kevon Looney didn’t need much time to explain what Luka Doncic has already changed for the Lakers, even before the games start counting.
The veteran center said Doncic gives Los Angeles a level of confidence that changes the whole mood on the floor. And with LeBron James out, Doncic is being counted on to drive a bounce-back season in 2026-27, especially while he’s healthy and getting ready for the regular season.
“When you got a guy like Luka [Doncic], going into the game you feel like you can beat anybody … We feel like if we do our job, he’s going to do his job and he’s going to clinch us the game”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 10, 2026
- Kevon Looney 🗣️
(via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/e4rHLmwIyp
“When you got a guy like Luka [Doncic] going into the game, you feel like you can beat anybody,” Looney said. “He's going to be the best player on the court, probably every night we're out there.
We feel like if we do our job, he’ll do his job and finish the game. He's one of the best closers in the league.
So, we have the utmost confidence in him.”
That belief has shown up in the preseason box scores, too. Doncic opened against the Sacramento Kings with 21 points, hitting 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, and also added three assists and two steals. The Lakers rolled to a 127-103 win in that one, then sat Doncic the next night of a back-to-back against the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers split the rest of their preseason run with Golden State and Sacramento. The Warriors beat Los Angeles 124-98, but the Lakers answered by beating the Kings again on Thursday, 114-110. Doncic paced the Lakers in that game with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Sandro Mamukelashvili gave Los Angeles a lift off the bench with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including three made threes, plus four assists, one steal, and one block. Jake LaRavia chipped in 17 points and four rebounds.
The Lakers and Warriors will meet again Tuesday in a preseason rematch in Los Angeles.
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