Luka Doncic reflected on his team’s performance after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 110-93 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. Doncic led the team with 25 points and seven assists, while Deandre Ayton added 25 points and 13 rebounds on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting night.
Discussing Ayton’s performance, Doncic said, “Very good. Very good for him. He made some big plays today. Obviously, he played great yesterday. Just come in, we asked him to do some things and he did it. So, it’s unbelievable.”
Doncic addressed his own health after returning from a minor groin issue, noting, “It’s okay. Not bad… maybe a little bit, but obviously going to try to play through it.”
On the Lakers’ defensive effort, Doncic highlighted the team’s focus and execution: “I think it was one of the best defensive games we had. They scored 93 points, which is awesome… playing physical, playing fast, and I think we did a great job today.”
He praised Ayton’s impact on both ends of the floor, saying, “Very good. When he plays like this, focus on both ends… he helps us a lot. It helps us win games and that’s what we need for him.”
Reflecting on his own shooting, Doncic said, “Oh, yeah. Lately I’ve been shooting a little bit better, but still far from… I know what I can do. I don’t know when it feels the best. Just having my legs and then getting to the shot.”
On distributing the ball to Ayton, Doncic added, “Like I said, it’s very important. He’s a very important guy for us, very important on both ends of the floor. We got to look for him a lot… if he plays like this, it gives us way better chance to win.”
Looking ahead to the team’s upcoming schedule, Doncic said, “Same way. We’re getting paid to do this. Shouldn’t be any excuses. I know it’s going to be a lot of traveling… but we get paid to do this and I love it.”
Reflecting on the season so far, he commented, “It’s not a bad record. Obviously could be better. But then sometimes if we play like this and we play like we played against Atlanta, gives us a lot better chance to win… just got to look at those two games and play like that.”
Regarding the defensive approach against Toronto, Doncic explained, “We just listen to our coverage, coverage. Playing fast, talking on the court. So I think those three main things for us.”
The Lakers took control late in the fourth quarter, using back-to-back buckets from LeBron James to extend the lead to 91-80, followed by a 9-0 run while holding the Raptors scoreless for over three minutes. Toronto, led by Scottie Barnes with 22 points and nine rebounds, fell to back-to-back losses for the first time in four weeks.
Both teams play again on Tuesday, with the Raptors at Golden State and the Lakers at Denver.
