Thursday night was rough for Luka Doncic. With the in-form Warriors visiting town, Laker Nation expected him to bring his A game. But Luka struggled to find his rhythm all night, finishing with only 19 points. Even worse—the Lakers lost. After the game, the Slovenian star made a brutal confession, “That performance for me was unacceptable, and when I play like that, it makes it harder for my team to win.”
So everyone knew Luka would be out seeking redemption last night against the Pelicans. And that’s exactly what he did. After a rough first half, he took over in the second and dropped 35 points to lead the LA team to a blowout victory.
As expected, it was a major sigh of relief for Luka, and he revealed the motivation behind his epic performance during the postgame interview, “Probably my worst score in my life, so I just knew that was a must-win game. So, I knew I need to get better at that. So, we got a win that’s all that matters.” Yes, another loss would have put the Lakers in a tough spot, tying the Warriors’ record. A huge risk of falling down the standings.
Luka understood the consequences and delivered when his team needed him the most. Thanks to him, the Lakers have overtaken the Nuggets once again and taken that third seed for now. Now that Doncic has come clean about his recent shooting struggles, his 35-point performance is a huge boost for the Lakers, especially with them heading for a tough 3-game road trip this weekend. And Luka understands the massive challenge that lies ahead.
Luka Doncic makes major MVP remark for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he reveals goal for upcoming road trip
With Doncic back in form, the focus now will be on the upcoming two-game stretch against the Thunder in OKC. And the Lakers superstar knows it’s going to be a huge challenge, “We all know how they play. They are first in the West for a reason. They’ve been playing amazing. They have a guy that is playing MVP level. So, the whole team is good. So, it’s gonna be a big big challenge for us.” Yes, Shai has been the frontrunner to win MVP for majority of the season, averaging 32.8 points and over six assists.
His only competition right now—Nikola Jokic, who is having a historic season in Denver, averaging a triple-double. But despite Luka and Jokic’s strong friendship and European ties, the Slovenian star believes SGA is also worthy of winning the MVP trophy. Of course, Luka was also part of that race last season but came in third behind Shai and Jokic. So, he understands how tough the competition is.
While the MVP battle continues, Doncic’s sole focus is on helping the Lakers win as many games as possible, “Yeah, it’s gonna be 3 tough games. So, we just gotta play with the same energy like we played against Houston and we have a chance… Win all the games you can. That’s it. Win the game. That’s it.” His message was short and direct. And that’s exactly the kind of mentality the Lakers need from their superstar as they head into the playoffs. Thoughts?
The post Luka Doncic Comes Clean Over Personal Struggles as Lakers Star Clears Stance on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Bid appeared first on EssentiallySports.