Luka Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-117 win over the Indiana Pacers with 44 points despite sitting out the fourth quarter. After the game, Doncic addressed criticism about his defense, saying he is trying to be more aggressive and engaged on that end of the floor.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a 128-117 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, but Luka Doncic made sure to highlight something other than his scoring.
After the game, the Lakers star pointed to his effort on the defensive end.
"Yeah, I know people not gonna talk about it never so just trying to do my job. Trying to be more aggressive, being more engaged so just trying to do better on defensive end," he said during the post-game press conference.
Even though he focused on defense in his comments, Doncic still delivered a huge scoring night. The Slovenian guard finished with 44 points despite not playing in the fourth quarter. He also added nine rebounds and five assists while leading the Lakers' offense.
Doncic was highly efficient as well. He shot 14 for 25 from the field, knocked down seven of his 14 three-point attempts, and went 9 for 10 from the free throw line.
With the performance, Doncic joined Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West as the only players in Lakers history to record at least 40 points in a season 10 times.
The Lakers played without LeBron James and Deandre Ayton, but still controlled the game behind Doncic's scoring and strong team play.
Austin Reaves finished with 19 points and five assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Luke Kennard added 15 points, while Rui Hachimura contributed 13.
The Lakers improved to 38-25 with the victory, bouncing back after a loss in Denver the night before.
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