With LeBron James sidelined with a groin injury and out of the team, the Los Angeles Lakers needed to hold on to their second seed—Luka Doncic, to be precise. But his solo run without James has not worked out very well thus far, as the Lakers have lost three consecutive games. They have been defeated by the Boston Celtics (111-101), Brooklyn Nets (111-108), and most recently by the Milwaukee Bucks (126-106), falling to the fourth spot as a result.
Their latest loss against the Bucks came despite Doncic (14-27 FG) recording a whopping 45 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the game. But after the game, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers revealed in his post-game conference how he capitalized on the Slovenian star’s one key weakness to get his team the victory.
“We guarded him 1-on-1 for the most part. We did send a couple of double teams, but our thinking was guard everybody else and you know, try to make him work on the other end and see how much he had in the tank, really.
“He had 45, which is a lot. But I liked how it worked out.”
Instead of trying to limit Luka on offense, Rivers targeted his defensive lapses, which is a noticeable weakness. This was also a factor that Harrison cited as the major reason to trade Doncic to the Lakers. Particularly after the superstar struggled in last year’s NBA Finals while being guarded by Jaylen Brown.
Despite Luka Doncic’s impressive night in attack, the Bucks coach’s strategy eventually worked, as the five-time NBA All-Star struggled to create shots for his teammates and was limited to only three assists. Much lower than his season average of 8.3. Moreover, his contribution on defense was limited, further strengthening Harrison’s concerns. However, LeBron’s return could solve this issue and Lakers head coach JJ Redick has shared his own verdict on the game.
JJ Redick Gives Verdict On Lakers Defeat
While Doncic did everything he could to get the Lakers a win tonight, it was clear that a lack of support from his teammates ultimately led to their loss. Apart from him and Austin Reaves, no other starter touched double digits. With the Lakers going through this troubling phase lately, JJ Redick has shared his honest thoughts on the game.
“This is a different loss than the other night in Brooklyn. I thought our competitive level was definitely high. I think, overall, it was a tough matchup if we’re not at full strength, that’s just the reality.”
“I think Luka looked very comfortable, regardless of the coverages that they gave him. But frankly, when you’re missing guys, you have to play hard but you also have to execute. We played hard, I don’t think we played smart defensively and again, playing a lot of lineups we haven’t played all year without practicing together, it’s gonna happen. Your hope is that with the schedule coming up, you get guys back.”
While Redick admitted that Doncic didn’t do well defensively, he said that it never affected his overall game. The Lakers will face off next against the Denver Nuggets.
