Luka Doncic Stats Tonight: How did Lakers superstar perform against the Hornets? (Feb. 19)
Luka Doncic and the LA Lakers hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday in the only NBA game of the night. The two teams were set to face at the Crypto.com Arena in January, but the Los Angeles wildfires postponed it indefinitely. Now, they had to restart the season earlier than the rest of the league.
The Lakers had their six-game winning streak snapped by the Utah Jazz in their final game before the All-Star break. Doncic has played two games in purple and gold, averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He's shooting just 40.7 from the field, including 26.7% from beyond the arc.
So how did "Luka Magic" perform against the Hornets? He did not have a good game, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He shot 5-for-18 from the field, including 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. He also committed six turnovers as the Lakers lost to Charlotte 100-97.
Here are Luka Doncic's stats for the game:
How did Luka Doncic perform in his third game for the LA Lakers?
Luka Doncic started slow on Wednesday night, committing five turnovers in the first quarter. Doncic also scored just two points in the period and was not having a good shooting night. He only added two more in the second quarter, but took care of the basketball better.
The Lakers were up by as much as 11 points in the third quarter before the Charlotte Hornets made a comeback. It all started after Austin Reaves was ejected following two straight technical fouls for arguing with an official. The Hornets slowly trimmed the lead and even built their own 10-point advantage at one point.
Doncic made his first 3-point shot in the fourth quarter as the game became close late in the game. He had a huge offensive rebound with under two minutes left, scoring the putback layup to give the Lakers a 94-93 lead.
However, the Lakers were unable to get stops on the other as Nick Smith Jr. hit a 3-point shot with less than a minute remaining. LeBron James made it one possession game with seven seconds remaining, with the Hornets up by three after two free throws by LaMelo Ball.
LeBron James had the chance to tie the game, but missed a wide open shot from beyond the arc. Gabe Vincent grabbed the offensive board and passed to "The King," who clanked another 3-point shot at the buzzer.
James finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Rui Hachimura had 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Hachimura missed two free throws that would have tied the game with 37 seconds left.
LaMelo Ball led the way for the visitors, putting up 27 points, five rebounds and six assists. Miles Bridges had a game-high 29 points plus six rebounds and five steals.