Luka Doncic took responsibility for his output in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 123-116 loss Thursday night to the Golden State Warriors.
“That performance from me was unacceptable,” Doncic said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “When I play like that, that makes (it) harder (for the team) to win, so just got to figure that out.”
Doncic recorded 19 points in the defeat but struggled shooting the ball efficiently, going 6-of-17 from the field. He missed all six of his attempts from deep, breaking a streak of making at least one 3-pointer per game over the past 114 contests since April 2023.
The five-time All-Star is shooting 41% from the field in 23 contests with the Lakers.
LeBron James led the team in scoring with 33 points, while Austin Reaves contributed 31. L.A.’s starters were responsible for 109 of 116 points in the contest.
Steph Curry scored 37 points for the Warriors, while Brandin Podziemski added 28.
“It obviously felt like a playoff game,” Doncic said. “Obviously, the Warriors, since they acquired Jimmy (Butler), they’ve been playing unbelievably. So it was kind of (a) playoff game, and now we see what kind of team they are. Maybe we can meet them, maybe not, in the playoffs. So, we just need to be more ready.”
The defeat dropped Los Angeles to fourth in the Western Conference. The Lakers are one game ahead of the fifth-place Warriors and hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1. Both teams have six contests remaining.
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