The Lakers bulldozed the Hawks tonight in a 141-116 blowout win in Los Angeles. Luka Doncic, who was initially listed as questionable for this game, ended up playing tonight as well.
He finished the game with 27 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds while shooting 7-16 from the field (43.9%) and 5-9 from the three-point line (55.5%). The Slovenian star spoke to the media after the game and addressed why he played tonight despite suffering from left groin soreness.
“I don’t know. For me, it’s just… I want to play,” said Doncic. “Obviously, I wasn’t feeling 100% but in my head I always want to play.”
“It’s a little bit worse than yesterday, but we’ll be fine,” Doncic further added on the impact of the game on his injury.
Following last night’s loss against the Kings, Doncic revealed that he wasn’t sure about playing today due to soreness in his left groin. However, the Slovenian star decided to suit up anyway as the Lakers looked to snap their second three-game losing streak of the season.
The Lakers’ superstars, Doncic and LeBron James, both went out of their way to be available tonight. The 41-year-old star was also listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
They combined for 22 assists as James fell one rebound short of a triple-double. James finished the game with 31 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds while shooting 12-20 from the field (60.0%) and 2-4 from beyond the arc (50.0%).
Doncic also addressed Redick’s comments on LeBron James’ critics and the 41-year-old star doing everything he can to be available for the Lakers on a nightly basis. The Slovenian star seemingly draws inspiration from James’ longevity and competitive spirit to do everything he can to win.
“I mean, yeah, he’s one of a kind… Just to play back-to-back, it costs everybody. But for him, it’s probably even more difficult. But he shows how much he cares. So, that’s a big time, and it shows the whole group how much it means.”
This win improves the Lakers to 24-14 for the season as the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They will now face the Hornets on Thursday (January 15) before encountering another back-to-back set of games scheduled on the coming weekend (January 17 and 18).
The Lakers fans will remain on the edge of their seats when it comes to the availability of their star players over this stretch of games.
Meanwhile, the Hawks snapped their three-game winning streak with tonight’s loss. They are now headed to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Thursday as well.
