Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard/forward Luka Doncic fought through a back injury to score 28 points, nearly notching a triple double on Wednesday as the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by coach Chris Finch’s Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers’ loss came as Rudy Gobert demolished Los Angeles in the paint and Julius Randle teamed up with the French big man to score 11 fourth quarter points of his own, sealing LA’s fate.
Afterward, Doncic was roasted by Charles Barkley and others for his alleged lack of defense. The Lakers’ trade acquisition had a six-word take when asked by reporters about what went wrong as the Lakers’ potential dream season crumbled to ashes.
“They were the better team, obviously,” Doncic said according to ESPN.
Doncic appeared to have loads of trouble keeping up with the Timberwolves’ backcourt and forwards as he was blown by several times for easy scores.
His back injury caused him to briefly head for the locker room prior to the Lakers’ 10-point halftime deficit.
A strong third quarter closed the distance, but Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Randle and others were too much as the Lakers were left to wonder what went wrong in front of a deflated crowd at Crypto.com Arena.
