The offensive heroics from Luka Doncic and LeBron James weren’t quite enough for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
The Western Conference No. 3 seed suffered a brutal 116-113 Game 4 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards poured in 43 points on 12-of-23 shooting, giving him the edge over Doncic.
The Slovenian superstar scored 38 points on 13-of-28 shooting, adding just one rebound and two assists. The focus after the game, however, was on his defense.
James scored 27 points, which came after a scorching hot first half that he didn’t quite continue into the latter half of the game.
Late-game execution lifted the Timberwolves over the Lakers in Minneapolis, with the series headed back to Los Angeles with the squad trailing Minnesota 3-1.
NBA fans echo Nico Harrison sentiment
Again, the sentiment comes back to one thing for NBA fans after the hard-fought battle: Doncic’s defense was an issue.
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Evidently, that was why the Dallas Mavericks moved on from him at the trade deadline in a move that shocked the entire basketball world.
Fans slammed the move initially, but they are starting to echo the same sentiment that Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has reiterated continuously since the move: defense wins championships, and Doncic doesn’t provide that.
“whatever luka give u on offense, he give it and more right back on defense,” one fan wrote.
“Luka Doncic got absolutely exposed on defense today… the Wolves picked on him all game,” Legion Hoops posted on X. “Defense wins championships.”
“Luka not beating those lack of defense allegations,” one fan added.
“After watching this series I completely see where Nico Harrison was coming from. The issue was not trading Luka it was the return,” another fan suggested. “…Luka’s defense will never allow a team to truly contend!”
“I don’t care about anything Luka Doncic does on offense. Until he improves his defense, it will be all stats and no trophies for his career,” one fan wrote.
It seems the tide is turning in the Doncic discourse after the Lakers were red-hot following the deadline. The regular season is gone, and the Slovenian superstar — along with James and the Lakers — are facing elimination from here on out.
