Doncic picks out who is to blame for Lakers loss
The Los Angeles Lakers star did not hold back on the blame game when analysing the loss to the Suns.
The seven-game winning run of the Los Angeles Lakers was brought to an abrupt end Monday night, as the Suns destroyed them 125–108 in Los Angeles. Despite an impressive 38 points and 11 rebounds from Dončić, his night unravelled quickly and he was soon struggling to keep his drowning team above water.
After opening the game with 20 quick points and a level 31-all first quarter, things collapsed in the second. Dončić was the culprit of four turnovers in that period alone, eventually finishing with nine, a career high.
And after the game, face red with fatigue and fury, he didn’t hold back when the microphone was placed under his chin like a buttercup. “That was my fault,” he lamented. “No way I can have nine turnovers in a game.”
Unsurprisingly, every one of those turnovers ended in a Phoenix steal, the most live-ball turnovers any player has committed all season so far. Teamed with sloppy ball control all around (the Lakers gave up 22 turnovers total), the Suns made the most of those mistakes. Fast-break opportunities turned into a 28–2 implosion.
Luka Doncic had 4 turnovers and an airball in 2 MINUTES…
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 2, 2025
Lakers fans started booing 🥶 pic.twitter.com/3V5MwdasNr
“Their guards did a good job of being physical”
“I feel like it definitely was a different defence than other teams [play],” Doncic added. “Kind of trying to let me go score instead of creating for others. So, it was kind of confusing, but like I said, just can’t have it.”
“In terms of the scheme, they never went to any sort of blitz or shock or anything like that,” Redick said of the tactics behind the loss. “Mark Williams did a great job of just being big. He’s got the second-highest standing reach in the NBA. So, whether it was post-up, whether it was an off-ball thing, whether it was pick-and-roll, he just was in the middle of the paint the whole time.
“And their guards did a good job of being physical and forcing us down there, and once you’re down there in that tight space, you’re not going to get the ball through, and that led to a lot of turnovers.”
Luka Doncic is tied as the fastest player ever to reach 500 PTS, 100 REB, & 100 AST in a season.
— Real Sports (@realapp) December 1, 2025
He ties himself from 2022. pic.twitter.com/pejiYsMJXl
Another key figure, LeBron James, also had his say on the reasoning behind the slip: “Turnovers, transition points. And obviously, on our home floor and against a disruptive defense like that, you can’t turn the ball over that much. And they were pretty much all pick-sixes. They not only turned us over, they were able to convert.”
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