Luka Doncic had just finished a 38-point, 11-assist performance in a 125-122 win over the LA Clippers when the conversation shifted from late-game execution to hypothetical matchups.
Asked how the Lakers pulled out a tight game that nearly slipped away, Doncic pointed first to a defensive sequence.
“Yeah, I mean, I should have blocked I should have just say block better to get that ball,” he said. “But you know, at the end, we got a little bit lucky, so we got the win.”
The All-Star guard scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and helped Los Angeles move to 34-21, good for fifth in the Western Conference.
He also addressed the developing chemistry between himself, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, who have played limited minutes together this season.
“It’s great,” Doncic said. “Finally we got healthy. The whole team is healthy. So we still got to find our potential.”
Against the Clippers, that trio delivered.
Doncic and James each recorded double-digit assists, while Reaves added 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting as the Lakers shot 17-for-31 from 3-point range.
When asked how far the team can climb in a competitive Western Conference, Doncic avoided long-term projections.
“My opinion is go game by game,” he said. “If you look at the end of the season, it’s not going to go good for you. So we got to go game by game, focus on every game going forward.”
The final question shifted to a lighter note, as Friday marked the birthday of Hall of Famer and analyst Charles Barkley.
If the two were to face each other in their respective primes, how would Doncic fare?
“I’ll cook him for sure,” Doncic said with a smile. “I think it would [be a] talk a lot between us. I think we both talk a lot of trash talk. So I think it will be very fun.”
He then added, “Happy birthday, Charles.”
Against the Clippers, he went 11-for-25 from the field and 8-for-14 from deep, controlling tempo late as Los Angeles survived a final possession that ended with a missed tying 3-pointer.
