The Los Angeles Lakers came into their Monday night game against the Brooklyn Nets without LeBron James and several big men due to various injuries. While it’s fortunate that King James won’t be out for an extended period, the injury snafu leaves the Purple and Gold with almost a skeleton squad against the hapless Nets.
The fear of many Lakers fans came true as they stumbled against D’Angelo Russell’s Nets at the Barclays Center.
While Luka Doncic and the rest of the Lakers roster did everything to keep the score close, the team’s lack of effective big men eventually did them in, ending the game in a 108-111 heartbreaker.
While fans wouldn’t be sore about the team’s performance, the Lakers’ new superstar took it upon himself to take the credit for the loss.
Luka Doncic blames himself for the Los Angeles Lakers’ defeat against the Brooklyn Nets
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Doncic took full responsibility for the loss. When JJ Redick claimed the squad didn’t coordinate on the floor while they were all lacking in bigs, Doncic said that it’s on him to better relay information to his teammates and keep them alert on their defensive shifts.
It’s encouraging for Lakers fans to see the Slovenian own up to his shortcomings, and his admission shows clear intention of improvement moving forward. What makes it all the better for the Purple and Gold faithful was how he wasn’t the only one who thought that he could have played against Brooklyn better.
It wasn’t like Doncic had a terrible game, though. He finished the night with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals. However, his 8-for-26 shooting did a number on their chances of winning the game.
Their lack of defensive communication was evident in the number of fouls committed. The Purple and Gold committed 20 fouls, 10 more than what Brooklyn got throughout the game.
The fact that they managed to keep the score close with only Alex Len as the real big man on rotation meant that they could have won if they were a bit more clinical on defense.
While the Nets’ terrible shooting from the charity stripe kept the score close, such a defensive meltdown was unacceptable for a team aspiring for a Finals appearance. Fans will be hopeful that he will continue to step up as LeBron focuses on making a full recovery.
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