When Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker exited the first quarter of Monday’s game, the path was clear for Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers to seal a comfortable home victory and extend their winning streak to eight.
Instead, the Lakers lost the game within three quarters, with the Suns taking a commanding 96-77 lead into the final period. The game was so lopsided that Lakers head coach JJ Redick benched Doncic for the entire fourth quarter.
There was another reason for Redick’s benching of his best player: turnovers.
Doncic coughed up nine turnovers within the first three quarters, even though the NBA’s scoring leader continued his scoring hot streak with 38 points in just 32 minutes — including 20 points in just the first quarter.
Luka Doncic Blames Himself
After the loss, Doncic took accountability for the loss.
“That was my fault,” Doncic said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “No way I can have nine turnovers in a game.”
The game got away from the Lakers in the second quarter when Austin Reaves coughed up four of five turnovers, resulting in a 35-21 run for the Suns.
“I feel like it definitely was a different defense than other teams [play],” the Lakers star said of the Suns. “Kind of trying to let me go score instead of creating for others. So, it was kind of confusing, but like I said, just can’t have it.”
Turnovers to Steals
Doncic’s nine turnovers tied a career high for the 26-year-old star. Furthermore, all nine of his turnovers resulted in steals. Per ESPN Research, no other game this season has witnessed as many live-ball turnovers by a single player.
JJ Redick cited good defensive fundamentals from the Suns for his team coughing up a season-high 21 turnovers, not a specific gameplan to stop Doncic and Reaves.
“In terms of the scheme, they never went to any sort of blitz or shock or anything like that,” Redick said, via ESPN.
“Mark Williams did a great job of just being big. He’s got the second-highest standing reach in the NBA. So, whether it was post-up, whether it was an off-ball thing, whether it was pick-and-roll, he just was in the middle of the paint the whole time.
“And their guards did a good job of being physical and forcing us down there, and once you’re down there in that tight space, you’re not going to get the ball through, and that led to a lot of turnovers.”
The Lakers (15-5) will try to get back to winning ways in an away game against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. Marcus Smart (back) is a game-time decision for the next contest after missing more than a week of action, per The Athletic.
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