The Los Angeles Lakers fell 132-119 to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at crypto.com Arena, and Luka Doncic addressed the team’s defensive struggles and areas for improvement.
Doncic noted that San Antonio’s defense forced drives and kick-outs, leading to early three-pointers. “They were just driving us… we scored 120 points, so I think it’s enough to win. We just have to guard better,” he said.
He emphasized the need for better perimeter pressure and on-ball defense. “Each one of us has to guard better… not let your guy drive it that way,” Doncic added, highlighting the Lakers’ continued challenge in maintaining defensive consistency.
The Dallas native praised Marcus Smart’s defensive impact and leadership. “He brought the energy of the bench… when he guards, when he talks to us, we listen,” Doncic said, underlining the importance of communication and teamwork in building a reliable defense.
On team chemistry and defensive cohesion, Doncic reflected, “Obviously it can happen quicker… we need to figure it out pretty quickly… our record is good, 17-7, but we can be so much better than this.”
Regarding rotations and small-ball lineups, Doncic saw some positives. “Those were pretty good minutes… we were probably faster in the small lineup. There were some pretty good minutes,” he said, showing optimism for future adjustments.
Doncic played 41 minutes, scoring 35 points and adding eight assists, while LeBron James contributed 19 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. Marcus Smart led the bench with 26 points and eight three-pointers, and Austin Reaves added 15 points.
For the Spurs, Stephon Castle returned from a 10-game absence to record 30 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, while De’Aaron Fox scored 20 points. San Antonio dominated with a 17-2 run in the second quarter, exploiting Lakers’ perimeter defensive lapses.
San Antonio improves to 17-7 and will face defending champion Oklahoma City in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday, while the Lakers will focus on defensive cohesion and execution moving forward.
