Luke Kennard praised Luka Doncic after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers Friday at Crypto.com Arena.
“Yeah, it’s very difficult what he does and I don’t think he honestly gets enough credit for what he can do out there,” Kennard said. “Even being on the floor, I just catch myself watching sometimes seeing what he does and it’s fun to watch.”
Kennard discussed his recent shooting form, noting, “Just our ball movement has progressed very well over the last few games, and for me it’s just being ready to shoot if I have a shot. If not, just keeping the offense going, not letting it stall at all.”
On Doncic encouraging him to shoot more, he added, “It’s been great, especially from a guy like that. One of the best scorers ever played the game. It builds confidence in you as a player to play off of him, and he’s going to make the right play.”
Reflecting on Doncic’s early scoring, Kennard said, “When you see a guy like him getting to his spots, hitting his shots, it definitely just brings a different level to our group. He set the tone for us tonight, and credit to him for that.”
Kennard emphasized the impact of wins against strong teams: “Playing teams with winning records definitely can build confidence in the group. Even in close games we’ve lost, we’ve done some really good things and we still believe we can win.”
He also highlighted the floor spacing provided by Jaxson Hayes, explaining, “It’s huge the way he’s been playing. Him and Luka have a really good connection, and even tonight there was a play where Luka got double teamed. He hit Jaxson, and Jaxson hit me in the corner for a three.”
Kennard’s 15 points and seven rebounds contributed to the Lakers’ fourth win in five games. Doncic led the team with 44 points and nine boards, including seven 3-pointers, while Austin Reaves scored 19 before fouling out, and Marcus Smart added 11 points.
The Pacers were led by Pascal Siakam with 26 points and Andrew Nembhard with 17, extending their post-All-Star losing streak to eight games. Despite missing LeBron James and Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles shot 53% from the field and 46% from three to maintain control.
With this win, the Lakers improve to 38-25, while Indiana drops to 15-48.
