The Los Angeles Lakers got another brilliant game from star guard Luka Doncic on Sunday as the team returned to the win column against the Raptors, in a 131-125 contest that was at once high paced and packed with free-throw trips. Doncic logged 37 points on the night, on a tremendously efficient effort–12-for-23 shooting, 6-for-8 3-point shooting and 13-for-13 shooting from the free-throw line. But after the game, it wasn’t the remarkable offense that caught attention: It was what Doncic did defensively that registered, as he logged five steals, grabbed 15 rebounds and recorded a blocked shot.
He is averaging 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks on the season, and both would be career highs. Perhaps it is time to start the Luka Doncic-all-defense campaign?
Luka Doncic: ‘I’m Better This Year’
OK, well let’s not go that far. But it is clear that Doncic is working to overhaul his reputation as a massive defensive liability and he deserves some credit for that. After the game, Doncic was asked about changing that reputation and the difficulty that comes with being thought of as a poor defensive player.
Said Doncic: “Why? I don’t know. Obviously, I’m not the best defender in the NBA, but I think this year I really took a step forward. Obviously, people can talk what they want to talk. The media is going to talk what they want to talk. But I know, and my team knows, I think I’m better this year. And that helps the whole team, I think.”
Lakers Overcome 24 Turnovers
One area of concern for the Lakers from the Raptors win was the way that Toronto played defense. The Lakers committed 24 turnovers in the game, and that does not usually equate to a win, or to 131 points in a 48-minute game. But coach JJ Redick was not unhappy with his team about it–he said it was on the referees to do a better job reeling in defensive physicality.
Said Redick: “We scored 131 with 24 turnovers…some of those turnovers are because we’re like legitimately getting fouled. Like it’s not like was that a foul? Was that not a foul? I told one of the referees this because all these guys do it, all the on ball defenders now.
“What they do is they pick you up, and then they grab the arm you’re not dribbling with and then they try to steal the ball from you. Famously Cason Wallace did it with TJ McConnell. That’s just the NBA right now. It’s really hard when you, when you play teams like this that are just fouling every possession.”
The Lakers are back in action on Monday night against the Heat at 10 p.m. ET.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Claps Back at Criticism After Raptors Win