Luka Doncic had been on fire, and the Los Angeles Lakers were winning a ton of games, but on Monday night, he fell flat, and the Detroit Pistons (without Cade Cunningham) got the win. It once again proved that the Lakers go as Doncic goes. And though that can be the case for a lot of teams, it’s a severe truth for LA.
As the Lakers get ready for the playoffs (and for their future with Doncic at the helm), they need to get used to this reality. Doncic does everything for them. He’s their offensive mastermind, and when he’s having a rough night, the Lakers are going to struggle to win games.
That’s just how it’s going to be.
Pistons loss reminded Lakers that they go as Luka Doncic goes
For what it’s worth, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As noted, most teams go as their star goes. If Nikola Jokic has a bad game, the Denver Nuggets will probably struggle to win. The same goes for Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. And Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But this latest Lakers loss was just a reality check after a hot stretch. A reminder of just how important Doncic’s success is to the team’s overall success.
The Lakers had been red-hot. As hot as almost any team in the NBA. They looked like they were peaking at the right time in the season, ready to take on the playoffs.
And one three-point loss to the Pistons doesn’t change everything. They lost 113-110, and even though Cunningham didn’t play, the Pistons are a quality basketball team. It makes sense that they played the Lakers tough.
But it’s no coincidence that the Lakers lost a game when Doncic struggled to score the ball as much as he did. The Pistons have elite defenders, after all.
Doncic ended the night with 32 points, seven rebounds, six threes, and three steals. However, he shot just 11-of-29 from the field and 3-of-13 from beyond the three-point line.
LeBron James shot 4-of-10 from the floor, and Austin Reaves put up 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting. But neither of those performances was enough to make up for Doncic’s inefficiencies.
Doncic is great enough to carry a team. He’s certainly talented enough to help the Lakers win basketball games at a high, high level. But when he struggles, the team will likely struggle.
Monday was a reminder of that reality, which could become very prevalent heading into the postseason.