Luka Doncic scored 41 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-99 on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. The win marked the Lakers’ 11th victory in 12 games and highlighted Doncic’s sustained scoring rhythm.
“Just trying to get downhill. Sometimes the three is going, sometimes not. Just trying to touch the paint and make plays and see what the difference give me,” Doncic said when asked about reaching consecutive 40-point games. He has scored 40 or more points in six of his last 12 outings.
The Slovenian superstar also picked up his 16th technical foul of the season, which could result in a suspension. “He was in my face three times. I just wanted to get out of there and it’s a double tech, of course. They say my push was exaggerated, which was obviously not,” Doncic explained about the altercation with Ziaire Williams.
Despite the technical, Doncic remained focused on the team’s performance. “We know what we do down the stretch. Obviously, we didn’t play well for three quarters. But then it was a good end of the quarter, so we won the game,” he said regarding the Lakers’ late surge, which included Austin Reaves scoring 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Doncic also addressed his approach to recovery. “It’s definitely, you know, we got two days between the games finally. So definitely get a lot of ice, a lot of recovery,” he said, referring to the team’s first consecutive days off since the All-Star break.
Looking ahead to the final stretch of the season, Doncic emphasized a game-by-game mentality. “We’re not looking at playoffs at all. The West is very tight. So we need to go game by game and focus on the playoffs when we get there,” he said.
LeBron James contributed 14 points and eight assists, including the first father-son assist in NBA history on Bronny James’ 3-pointer in the second quarter. The Nets were led by Josh Minott’s 18 points and six rebounds, while Nic Claxton and Williams added 16 points each. However, the Nets were limited in the fourth quarter as their starters sat the final period.
Doncic’s consistent scoring and late-game execution were pivotal in overcoming a road-weary Lakers team returning from a 5-1 trip. The Lakers are now positioned third in the Western Conference, while Brooklyn continues to struggle, losing its 10th straight game.
Up next, the Lakers host Washington on Monday, and the Nets visit Sacramento on Sunday. The back-to-back rest days give the Lakers a chance to recover before their final stretch of regular-season games.