Luka Doncic has no interest in letting his own individual brilliance overshadow the success of his team and is ready to “lock in” for the next challenge in the playoffs.
Doncic had 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers’ second clash of the first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The feat marked just the third time in the team’s history that a player had scored 30 or more points in their opening two playoff games with the Lakers.
The only other players to achieve the feat are Shaquille O’Neal and George Mikan.
Still, Doncic’s sights remained focused on winning the major prize.
“It’s fine but it don’t matter,” he said when asked about his efforts.
“If I have 30 or if I have 10, we have to win no matter what. This isn’t about players, this is about the team. We’ve got to win.
“The whole team helped. It’s not just about individual difference, it’s about all five on the floor. We played hard from the start. We played physical, that’s how we have to play.”
Doncic will travel with the team to the Target Centre for the third game on Saturday (AEST), where they will prepare to block out the noise of the Minnesota home fans.
“It’s going to be hard,” Doncic said.
“They have amazing fans… we’ve got to stay locked in. It’s us against them.”
Having suffered a 22-point thrashing against Minnesota in game one, Los Angeles Lakers fought back to level the series with a 94-85 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday.
LeBron James scored 21 points and Austin Reaves added 16 for the third-seeded Lakers, who rebounded from their blowout loss in game one by jumping out to an early 22-point lead and hanging on through a physical matchup with sixth-seeded Minnesota.
Julius Randle scored 27 points and Anthony Edwards had 25 for the Timberwolves, who lost most of their offensive fluidity from their impressive series-opening win.
James added 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who never lost control in a game with 46 combined personal fouls and multiple video reviews.
James and Rui Hachimura both took hard shots to the face, and Hachimura played the second half in a mask.
The Wolves hit a franchise-record 21 3-pointers while blowing out the Lakers 117-95 in Game 1 despite 37 points by Doncic.
Los Angeles responded with more engaged defense and another big game from Doncic, while the Wolves couldn’t recapture their offensive fluidity until the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles took a 19-point lead in the first quarter of game two with 16 points by Doncic, who exploited isolations on center Rudy Gobert.
James’ first 3-pointer put the Lakers up 43-21 in the second quarter.
Los Angeles led 83-65 in the opening minute of the fourth, but Minnesota closed its gap to nine points while the Lakers went seven minutes between field goals. The Wolves still couldn’t muster enough offense closer.
