LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic couldn't find his shot in his third game with the Los Angeles Lakers, and LeBron James couldn't make up for it.
Yet the Lakers all say they aren't worried after their embarrassing 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
Doncic scored 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting, including a 1-for-9 performance on 3-point attempts. The Slovenian superstar added 11 rebounds and eight assists, but also committed six turnovers and five personal fouls while playing 33 minutes in his longest performance since joining the Lakers in a blockbuster trade with Dallas.
“Obviously, it's going to take a little time,” Doncic said. “Today, a lot of rustiness from my part. Started the game with like four or five turnovers. That can't happen. Just got to play basketball the right way.”
The evening was clearly frustrating to Doncic, who was playing only his third NBA game following a 6 1/2-week absence due to a calf strain incurred on Christmas. On a couple of occasions when this normally electrifying scorer managed to make a shot against the Hornets, Doncic reacted with a visible mix of relief and frustration.
Doncic is 16 for 45 from the field in his three games with the Lakers, but just 5 for 24 on 3-point attempts — including 2 for 16 in his two home games, where fans have buzzed with anticipation of each shot and then groaned at each clank.
Back-to-back losses to cellar-dwelling Utah and Charlotte are grim results for a team that had won 10 of 11, but the 40-year-old James also isn’t concerned about Doncic’s start in purple and gold.
“It’s his third game since Christmas, and it’s his third game with us,” James said. “He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built up since September. Obviously, we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form, so we’re working through it together.”
Not everything was grim about Doncic’s performance against Charlotte, his first in which he didn’t have a minutes restriction since his injury return. He led Los Angeles in rebounds, and his plus-13 rating was the Lakers’ best number despite his turnovers.
“He’s got to be comfortable being himself, because he’s one of the best players in the world,” said Austin Reaves, whose third-quarter ejection was swiftly followed by the Hornets’ 22-1 run. “We need him to be him, and it’s just going to take a couple of games, a couple of weeks to figure out what that best looks like. But we can figure it out fairly quickly.”
With the game on the line in the final seconds, Doncic was the one inbounding the ball to James, who then missed two 3-point attempts in the final six seconds. Doncic had no problem with not being in the late-game spotlight.
“He had it going, so obviously we're going to go to him,” Doncic said. “I think it'll go both ways. One time it's going to be him, and one time me. I think it depends on how the game is going.”
The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavs on Feb. 2 in a seismic trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas.
Doncic played in both of the Lakers’ final two games before the All-Star break, but he logged only 47 total minutes while the Lakers eased him back into competition. Doncic then got several days of recovery and reset while the rest of the NBA’s top players convened in San Francisco for the All-Star Game.
“Honestly, I was getting my mind off basketball a little bit,” Doncic said. “I’m just excited to come back and play. I missed a lot of time. I’ve never missed this much time, so it was something new to me. Now I’m just excited to get back to play.”
Doncic won't have time to dwell on this slow start: The Lakers jumped on a plane to Portland after their loss, and they'll face the Trail Blazers on Thursday before visiting Denver on Saturday.
And the Lakers' next home game? It's against the Mavericks on Tuesday.
With the shock of the midseason trade fading more each day, Doncic is eager to look to the future.
“This is one of the greatest clubs in the world, and I'm just happy to be here,” Doncic said. “Obviously, I'm going to need some time, but I'm happy to represent the Lakers.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press