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Dave McMenamin
LOS ANGELES — After playing a season-high 41 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Luka Doncic spent even more time in the training room receiving postgame treatment on the inside of his right leg.
“It’s probably nothing,” Doncic said after appearing at the postgame news conference nearly an hour and a half after the final buzzer. “I just felt it a little bit because my hip went the opposite direction. I felt it a little bit, but it’s probably nothing.”
Before the adjustment, Doncic was dominant. He finished with 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and appeared more mobile on defense than he was after being traded to the Lakers for the second half of last season, recording two steals.
“I think I’m getting better on the defensive side, just trying to get more involved, communicate more (with teammates),” Doncic said. “But in total, 41 minutes, so I like that.”
Doncic, who spent the offseason honing his physique through intense exercise and diet, was effective attacking the rim against the Warriors. He shot 13 of 14 in the paint and 15 of 17 on 2-pointers, according to ESPN Research.
He committed three turnovers, which posed a problem for the entire Los Angeles team as the Lakers committed 20 errors, which led to 22 points for the Warriors.
And he shot 2 of 10 from 3-point range, contributing to the Lakers’ struggles to 8 of 32 from 3.
The Lakers were also outscored 35-25 in the third quarter, which broke the game open for Golden State.
“The trend I see is we continue to be a terrible team in the third quarter,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “That was last year. It was preseason. You have to rethink some things and it’s, you know, a two-way thing with guys. What do they need at halftime to make sure they’re ready to play? They’re not ready to play to start the third quarter.”
The Lakers will have two days of practice — and some recovery time for Doncic — before their next game, at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
