Luka Doncic jokes about Los Angeles’ terrible defense after NBA Cup loss to Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic knows that poor defense cost his team the NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the San Antonio Spurs — wasn’t afraid to admit it during a postgame media availability. The 132-119 loss to the Spurs sent a clear message where the Lakers’ biggest weakness lies 24 games into the 2025-26 season.
Doncic says it’s a hurdle for his team to clear, giving the Lakers “two weeks.” drastically improve your defensehe said, according to The Athletic’s Dan Volke.
“We know there are 82 games in the NBA. So, I would say we have time, but we have to figure it out pretty quickly,” said Doncic. “Our record is pretty good, 17-7, that’s pretty good to start with. But I feel like we can be a lot better.”
Losing its chance to knock off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals of the NBA Cup, which the Lakers haven’t faced since the return of LeBron James, Los Angeles suffered its third loss in five games. The Lakers defense gave up 125+ points in each of those losses.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 35 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Marcus Smart added 26 points, including eight three-pointers, and LeBron James added 19 points and three blocks.
Austin Reaves agrees on the Lakers’ biggest “weakness.”
The Lakers guard Austin Reeves agreed with Rich Paul’s assessment that the team’s defense has become his greatest weakness. Paul, LeBron James’ agent, shared his thoughts in a recent interview, and Reeves wasn’t afraid to say he agreedaccording to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“That’s a weakness we have to get better at. The spirit here is still high, we know we can do it… But we have to be a five-man guard group,” Reaves said after the Lakers’ NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the Spurs.
The Lakers will face the Suns on Sunday.
2025-12-11 21:18:00
