Luka Doncic calls out himself and his teammates after the loss to the Rockets
Luka Dončić he didn’t have to look far to find someone to blame Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets 119-96, leaving their fans disappointed at Cripto.com Arena on Christmas Day.
The Lakers allowed the Rockets to have a strong start, scoring 37 points in the first quarter. The Purple and Gold were never able to mount a comeback, suffering their third straight loss.
Doncic was a picture of frustration after the game. However, he admitted it he was responsible for their loss.
“Everybody needs to put in more effort, starting with me,” the 26-year-old star said, as quoted by The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
Doncic scored 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, five rebounds and seven assists. He also had six turnovers.
LeBron James added 18 points, five rebounds and two steals. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves had to be pulled early in the game after re-aggravating his calf injury. He had 12 points in 15 minutes.
Los Angeles allowed Houston to shoot 53% from the field and was outrebounded 48-25. The Rockets scored 23 points off the Lakers’ 16 turnovers.
26 year old Doncic said that he should return the defensive effort he showed in the first few games of the season. Injuries have slowed him down lately, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for the perennial All-Star to be reluctant to play.
Lakers coach JJ Redick has rhapsodized on several occasions about putting in full effort on both sides, and as Doncic admitted, he should be an example to everyone.
The Lakers fell to 19-10, including 7-5 at home.
2025-12-26 04:54:00
