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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed a huge win on Monday against the Houston RocketsLakers grabbed a huge win on Monday against the Houston Rockets amid a tight race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. But the Lakers followed it up with a 123-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors during which Luka Doncic did not have a great shooting night.
Following the Lakers’ loss, Luka Doncic was honest about his shooting night against the Warriors throwing a little humor in as well. Doncic had fallen on his left elbow against the Rockets, yet he downplayed the effect that it had on shot.
“It’s fine. That’s my left arm so it’s fine,” Doncic said. “I was shooting with the right. It just looked like the left.”
Against the Warriors, Doncic finished with 19 points, but shot only 6-of-17 from the field and 0-of-6 from the three-point line. It was the first time in two years that he did not make a three-point shot in a game. Aside from his comments about his elbow, Doncic took responsibility for his overall play against the Warriors.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 46-30 and to fourth place in the West standings. They are a half game back of the Denver Nuggets for the third seed, but only a game up on the Warriors who are in fifth.
Luka Doncic’s impact with Lakers
The Lakers have gone 15-11 since Doncic made his debut on Feb. 10 against the Utah Jazz. That stretch also included an eight-game win streak that saw the Lakers briefly move into the second seed in the West.
With six games remaining, the Lakers are hoping to secure homecourt advantage at least for the first round of the playoffs. Even with the most recent win against the Rockets, the Lakers still trail them by three and a half games in the race for second.
Prior to Doncic’s arrival, the Lakers were in contention for a low playoff seed/play-in spot. Doncic has now transformed them into an upper-seed in the West.
He’s appeared in 23 games with the Lakers, at a little over 35 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.7 steals with splits of 41.2 percent shooting from the field, 35.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 79.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Doncic started off his Lakers debut a little slow as he continued to rehab from a calf injury he suffered with the Dallas Mavericks that had kept him sidelined since Christmas Day. But he had found a groove, fitting in with the Lakers’ other two ball-handlers in LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
