The Los Angeles Lakers were without multiple key players heading into a road game against the Brooklyn Nets, as the likes of LeBron James, Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith, and more were unavailable. However, the likes of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves couldn’t get the job done as the Lakers fell to a 108-111 loss to the tanking Nets.
Fans were shocked at the lack of foul calls the Lakers were getting this game, particularly Doncic himself. He commented on the same after the game, declaring the lack of free throws unfair.
“Yeah, I mean in the end… It was a lot. I think it wasn’t fair. But you just gotta play the game. I gotta keep playing the game, but it was a lot man, I ain’t gonna lie.”
“I’m not gonna say anything. You know? I think everybody saw the game, so they know what happened.”
Luka on the officiating tonight:
“I’m not gonna say anything… but everyone saw the game and know what happened”pic.twitter.com/cIQz89YJHq
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 11, 2025
Doncic struggled with 22 points (8-26 FG), 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. The guard went to the free throw line for four shots, with fans citing multiple incidents that displayed the rough defense the Nets got away with playing on the Slovenian guard. It didn’t help that Doncic was heavily doubled and tripled during this clash.
He spoke more about his level of play in this loss, lamenting his poor decision-making as the game went on and refusing to blame the team’s shorthandedness for the loss.
“I should’ve made better decisions on that one. I think we started the game doing a good job, good decisions, but then we went kind of out of it.”
“I think I should’ve helped more. They all played great. We got to have the same mentality going forward. Injuries are gonna happen, but we need a next-man up mentality.”
“Yeah, we started the game good… But then we just let go of the rope.”
"We just let go of the rope."
Luka Dončić speaks to the media after his 2nd triple-double as a Laker (22 pts, 12 reb, 12 ast), but they fall short, losing 111-108 to the Nets. pic.twitter.com/AnunjdVrQl
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 11, 2025
Luka Doncic is 0-2 as a Laker in games without LeBron James. With the star forward expected to be out for the foreseeable future with a groin injury, the onus will fall on Doncic to ensure the Lakers keep pace in the battle of the No. 2 seed.
Tonight’s loss to the Nets allowed the Denver Nuggets to take a one-game lead over the Lakers for the No. 2 seed, as the Nuggets defeated the No. 1 seed OKC Thunder minutes after the Lakers lost to the Nets. This is the second loss LA has faced on this road trip, losing their last game to the Boston Celtics.
Doncic is averaging 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists this season as a Laker, so he needs to find a way to clean up his shooting splits going forward to maximize his impact on the court.
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