LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers carried one of the better home records into Thursday’s playoff-like game against the Golden State Warriors but were unsuccessful in their attempt to further cement its place in the Western Conference standings.
Point guard Luka Dončić sat at his locker with his head down while scrolling on his phone following the 123-116 home loss.
The dejected Dončić made his way to the podium for his postgame press conference shortly after and admitted he wasn’t pleased with his overall performance.
‘I think (the Warriors) were playing good defense and I think we didn’t play with enough trust,’ Dončić said. ‘That performance for me was unacceptable and when I play like that, it makes it harder for my team to win.’
Dončić was limited to 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers in nearly 38 minutes of play. Dončić shot 6-of-17 from the field and did not make any of his six three-point attempts. He did capitalize on his free throw attempts, making all seven.
‘It’s always frustrating when you can’t help your team, but it’s not always about scoring,’ he said. ‘You can do other stuff on the court. I try to help in other ways.’
‘It wasn’t his night,’ Lakers coach JJ Redick said when asked about Dončić and the Warriors’ effort to exploit the guard as a defender.
Dončić played just under eight minutes down the stretch of the game as the Lakers attempted to close in on the Warriors’ lead but was limited to just two points and shot 1-for-3 from the field.
‘Jimmy (Butler) did a great job of standing in front of him and forcing him into a tough situation,’ Warriors forward Draymond Green said about his team’s defense against Dončić late in the game. ‘He drove him right down to me. The only pass he really got is to (Jaxson Hayes) and that guy’s gotta shoot a floater or gotta go through my chest to get the layup.
‘I felt comfortable enough to go for it. He put the ball out there, so at worst, I’m going to foul him, but he ain’t getting the and-one. It’s two free throws, so taking advantage of an opportunity to make a play.’
Luka Dončić health update
Dončić’s availability for the second night of a back-to-back could be considered a game-time decision as the Lakers will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday evening.
The Slovenian did not appear on the Lakers’ injury report Wednesday night but was seen with tape around his left elbow during pregame warmups. The tape remained on his arm during the game but was covered up with an arm sleeve.
‘It’s fine,’ Dončić said. ‘It’s my left (arm). It’s fine.’
Dončić, who primarily shoots with his right hand, took a hard fall on his left elbow during the previous game against the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Lakers’ playoff situation
The Lakers are now the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings and sit a half-game back of the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors are one game behind the Lakers as the fifth seed.
If the season ended today, the Lakers and Warriors would square off in the first round.
Los Angeles entered Thursday as the third seed.