On Sunday, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.
Doncic finished the 116-113 loss with 38 points, one rebound, two assists, one steal and one block while shooting 13/28 from the field.
After the game, Doncic received a lot of criticism for his defense.
Zach Lowe of The Ringer made a strong statement about the 26-year-old superstar.
Lowe: “Why do you have to get humiliated at the beginning of every single playoff series before you show the world like, yeah, I can actually put in a little bit more of an effort on defense?… I’m just tired of, like, I’m gonna be embarrassed until our backs are against the wall, and then I’m gonna show you that yeah, I can put up a little bit of a fight… Now you’re down 3-1, and you’re probably going home.”
The Lakers will host the Timberwolves for Game 5 of the series on Wednesday night at the Chase Center.
They will have to win three straight games to avoid elimination.
Doncic was the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Last season, he led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals.