Luka Doncic held the show on the La Lakers’ playoff debut, but that wasn’t enough as the team fell victim to the historic shooting display for the Minnesota Timber Wolves, who grabbed Game 1 of their first round series with a 117-95 victory.
Doncic dropped 37 points in a 22-12 shooting, but he turned the ball over five times. He also collected eight rebounds, but the last mark he recorded in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
After the loss, Slovenian security guards expressed regret to Lakers fans.
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“It was a great atmosphere,” he said (according to the Lakers Everyday). “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t win the first one.”
As reported by NBA.com, the opening game attracted 18,997 crowds at Crypto.com Arena. However, Minnesota brought the heat, knocking down 21 of 42 attempts from the Deep before torching the net.
Around Sports Centerthe Lakers’ 95-point total was the lowest in one of the 24 games LeBron James and Donsic played together this season.
James scored 19 points on 18 shots and finished with the worst plus and minus for the team with minus 22 in 36 minutes.
This was the fourth time the Lakers had shot less than 40% off the floor. They now have lost three of these four. The team finished 39.8%, with only Doncic (22-12) and Dalton Knecht (2-2) earning at least half of the shots.
They also struggled to reach the line, attempting 16 free throws and hitting in the 14th. By comparison, LA averaged 23.2 attempts in the regular season, making it 4-9 in the contest on less than 16 trips.
Luka Doncic says he needs to pass more
There were three high-volume ball handlers in Luka Doncic, Lebron James and Austin Reaves, and the Lakers found their rhythm well during the regular season. But the trio was full of Game 1.
They combined with just seven assists, Don Chic taking up only one while coughing five turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.2 was the lowest of his postseason career.
When asked if there was more post-match ball distribution, Luka Donsic replied:
“Yeah, of course. I really have no way to deal with that. Yeah, I have to go by more.”
Game 2 between the Timberwolves and Lakers is set at 10pm ET on Tuesday.
Edited by John Ezekiel Hero
