Issue #03: Next Possession 🏀
Down 18 after one quarter. Up 9 at the final buzzer. That's the Lakers' 132-123 win in Utah on Sunday night, and it's a lesson for every player we coach.
🐢 The Slow Start
The Lakers came out flat. Utah scored 47 points in the first quarter and led 47-29. Lauri Markkanen got going (he finished with 28), Keyonte George ran the show (24 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists), and it looked like a long night.
🔥 The Comeback
The Lakers didn't panic. They outscored the Jazz by 21 in the second quarter, and Luka Doncic hit a stepback three with 4.1 seconds left in the half for their first lead of the night, 74-71. The third quarter was even, 29-29, and the Lakers went into the fourth up 103-100.
🏀 Luka Closes It Out
With the game tight late, Luka capped a 14-5 run with back-to-back threes to put the Lakers up 127-121 with 1:42 left. They never trailed again. His final line:
- 52 points on 17-of-30 shooting
- 8 threes
- 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
It's the NBA's first 50-point game of the season. Austin Reaves was the perfect partner with 29 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three. Between them, Luka and AR made 21 of 24 free throws.
📜 Luka's Place in Lakers History
This was Luka's third 50-point game as a Laker. That moves him to 5th on the franchise list, past Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain (2 each):
- Kobe Bryant: 25
- Elgin Baylor: 17
- Jerry West: 5
- George Mikan: 4
- Luka Doncic: 3 (tied with LeBron James)
A few more records from the night: he's the first Laker ever with 50 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 threes in one game, and only the third Laker with 50 points and 10 assists, joining Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. It's also his 10th career 50-point game, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 11th in NBA history. The Lakers are 3-0 and host Portland on Tuesday.
🧠 This Week's Mindset: Play the Next Play
Down 18 after one quarter, nobody would have blamed them for letting it go. Instead they played the next possession, and the next one. Your player will have games that start like that: a missed layup, a turnover, a bad first quarter. What matters is what they do on the next play.
Do. Good. Work.
Coach Joshua