{"id":274514,"date":"2025-04-20T05:05:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T05:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/20\/apologetic-luka-doncic-sends-message-to-lakers-nation-after-losing-in-his-purple-and-gold-playoffs-debut\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:48","slug":"apologetic-luka-doncic-sends-message-to-lakers-nation-after-losing-in-his-purple-and-gold-playoffs-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/20\/apologetic-luka-doncic-sends-message-to-lakers-nation-after-losing-in-his-purple-and-gold-playoffs-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Apologetic Luka Doncic sends message to Lakers nation after losing in his Purple and Gold playoffs debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4883012\" data-slug-id=\"2482429\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/luka-doncic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Luka Doncic<\/a> put on a show in his playoff debut for the LA Lakers, but it wasn\u2019t enough as the team fell victim to a historic shooting display by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who grabbed Game 1 of their first-round series with a 117-95 victory.<\/p>\n<p>Doncic dropped 37 points on 12-for-22 shooting but turned the ball over five times. He also collected eight rebounds but dished out only one assist \u2014 a mark he last recorded during Game 1 of last year&#8217;s NBA Finals against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/boston-celtics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Boston Celtics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After the loss, the Slovenian guard expressed remorse to Lakers fans.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"bets-today-poll\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"preview-card-holder bets-today-poll\">\n<p><span class=\"date\"\/> \u2022 <span class=\"time\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"march-madness-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/march-madness-logo.png\" height=\"42\" width=\"99\" alt=\"march madness logo\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It was a great atmosphere,\u201d he said (per Lakers Daily). \u201cSorry we couldn&#8217;t get the first win.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>As reported by NBA.com, the opening game drew a crowd of 18,997 at Crypto.com Arena. But Minnesota brought the heat, torching the nets after knocking down 21 of their 42 attempts from deep \u2014 setting a new franchise playoff record.<\/p>\n<p>Per <em>SportsCenter<\/em>, the Lakers\u2019 95-point total was their lowest in any of the 24 games <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">LeBron James<\/a> and Doncic have played together this season.<\/p>\n<p>James contributed 19 points on 18 shots and ended with the worst plus-minus on the team at minus-22 in 36 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>This was just the fourth time all year the Lakers shot below 40% from the floor \u2014 they\u2019ve now lost three of those four. The team finished at 39.8%, with only Doncic (12-for-22) and Dalton Knecht (2-for-4) making at least half their shots.<\/p>\n<p>They also struggled to get to the line, attempting just 16 free throws and hitting 14. By comparison, LA averaged 23.2 attempts per game in the regular season and went just 4-9 in contests with 16 or fewer trips.<\/p>\n<h2>Luka Doncic says he needs to pass more<\/h2>\n<p>With three high-usage ball handlers in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers often found rhythm during the regular season. But that trio faltered in Game 1.<\/p>\n<p>They combined for only seven assists, with Doncic accounting for just one while coughing up five turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.2 was the lowest of his postseason career.<\/p>\n<p>When asked postgame whether he needs to distribute the ball more, Luka Doncic replied:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Yeah, sure. I don\u2019t how to respond to that one really. Yeah, I gotta pass more.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Game 2 between the Timberwolves and Lakers is set for Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/1253811-1730125987-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;John Ezekiel Hirro&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nJohn Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university&#8217;s official student publication, for four years\u2014the longest in history.<\/p>\n<p>A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant&#8217;s departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.<\/p>\n<p>He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson&#8217;s record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/hirrojohnezekiel-0b23b\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/news-apologetic-luka-doncic-sends-message-lakers-nation-losing-purple-gold-playoffs-debut\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Luka Doncic put on a show in his playoff debut for the LA Lakers, but it wasn\u2019t enough as the team fell victim to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":274515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274514"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}