Luka Doncic and Lakers find it difficult to lose to Stephen Curry and Warriors

Lakers could not miss. And then they couldn’t do anything.

Eleven times in a row, they obtained a gap they loved and found themselves in places on the ground they wanted, only to see their failures.

During the first four minutes, the Lakers offensive was perfect. For the following eight, it was problematic.

For the first time for a long time since the Lakers exchanged against Luka Doncic, his magic has disappeared, the offensive engine of the team frustrated by a combination of the defense of Golden State, offensive opportunities and wasted whistles that did not come.

The tone had been set, the Lakers playing a big match against Golden State without the necessary rhythm, without the necessary tenacity, without the necessary intelligence.

The famine of the first quarter meant that the Lakers had to play from behind, making only a striking distance from the head before losing 123-116 Thursday evening at the Crypto.com Arena.

Things improved in the second half, but the hole was too large and the momentum too ephemeral.

It was not for lack of fight – the Lakers had a lot all season. They have obtained less than five points in the last five minutes and in the last five seconds, but never in a single possession.

A wild rush after a turnover of Orden State could have cut it to a possession, but the Lakers returned the ball.

It was the story all night. Whenever the Lakers have briefly extended, a disaster was there to strike.

Brandin Podziemski, who scored 19 points in the first half, stole the shortest ribbon of the momentum by making a half-terrain shot in progress to finish the second quarter.

With the Lakers (46-30) setting up positive goods at the end of the third, Austin Reaves was caught on Stephen Curry and sent him to the line for three free throws.

“I thought we had always done a good job trying to fight in these situations,” said Reaves. “It’s just, we didn’t have enough time to get everything back.”

Between all this, the Lakers have spent a lot of energy directed against officials, some with a good cause. The team used and won a pair of challenges, but there were no more in the third quarter, leaving it helpless when a replay showed Curry, not the Lakers, gave a kick to the limits. Instead of a turnover, Curry scored on a lay-up on the following possession.

Lakers have often reacted excessively to missed calls, missed shots and missed chances.

The match also offered an interesting overview of knowing where the teams are with only six games to play in the regular season, the Lakers cannot resolve Golden State (45-31) and its defense at the first meeting since the two lists were revised.

Curry finished with 37 points on the shooting of 10 for 21 and Podziemski collected 28 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 11 points.

In the photo of the closely disputed qualifying series, the teams could eventually meet in the first round. If the season ended on Thursday, the Lakers and the Warriors would be n ° 4 and 5 respectively.

“This is part of the process of becoming a very good team. You have to browse these battles from top to bottom to cover situations where you have to understand it,” said Reaves. “If everything is always fluid, if at some point, it does not succeed, if it is a little difficult, then you do not know what to turn to. Once you have gone through things like this, you have to adapt and adjust yourself. And that’s what we will do.”

LeBron James scored 33 points and Reaves had 31, but Doncic made only six out of 17 on the field for 19 points. It was the worst Doncic match since February 25 and its first without three points since the 2022-23 season.

“This performance on my part is unacceptable,” said Donic.

Doncic hit his left elbow at the end of the Lakers’ victory against Houston on Monday, but said it was not a factor in his game.

“It’s good. It’s my left, so it’s okay,” said so. “I shoot them with the law.”

The Lakers welcome New Orleans Friday evening before playing their next three games on the road, including two against first place by Oklahoma City Thunder.