The Los Angeles Lakers continue to insist it will take time to assimilate Luka Doncic into the group.
Apparently they can’t beat the woeful Charlotte Hornets while they try to figure it out.
One night after a humbling defeat, the Lakers will look for a better result when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
Los Angeles is coming off a 100-97 home loss against the Hornets, who entered the contest 26 games below .500.
The Lakers let a 13-point second-half lead get away. Los Angeles had a chance to force overtime, but LeBron James missed two 3-point attempts in the final five seconds.
“Those last two were pretty good looks,” James said. “The first one obviously was better than the second one. The second one had to be rushed a little bit.”
James had 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while playing on the sore left foot that led him to pull out of the All-Star Game on Sunday.
“It’s going to be something we’re going to have to manage through the regular season and through the postseason,” James said. “I was happy I was able to get some days off and make sure I was available for (Wednesday).”
Doncic played 33 minutes in his third game with the Lakers and had 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. However, he shot 5 of 18 from the field, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range, and committed a game-high six turnovers.
Doncic is averaging 14.7 points and has missed 19 of 24 3-point tries since being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks, with the Lakers going 1-2 in those contests.
“It’s going to take a little time, a lot of rustiness on my part,” Doncic said. “I started the game with four or five turnovers, that can’t happen. Gotta play basketball the right way.”
The Lakers have the current back-to-back due to the game against Charlotte being a makeup for the Jan. 9 contest that was postponed due to the Los Angeles fires.
The Trail Blazers showed life by winning 10 of 11 games before going 0-3 on a road trip to end play before the break.
“I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “I just want us to be consistent on both sides of the ball. Our remedy the whole time, our recipe has been just guarding at a pretty high level and then trying to get the rebound after we do guard on a possession and then playing fast and moving the ball. So I want us to continue to do that.”
After the game against the Lakers, Portland hosts the Hornets on Saturday before heading out on a seven-game road trip.
Center Deandre Ayton, who excelled during the hot stretch, injured his left calf on Feb. 10 against the Denver Nuggets and will miss at least three more weeks.
Rookie Donovan Clingan looked up to the task of manning the middle by starting the final game before the break and collecting 17 points and a career-best 20 rebounds while going up against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets.
“I’m definitely ready,” said Clingan, the No. 7 overall pick out of UConn. “I put a lot of work in to get my body and my conditioning right to the point where it’s at. I’m going to keep on getting better and better.
“So, I’m going to challenge myself to go out there and leave it all out there every single night.”
Jerami Grant (right knee), Scoot Henderson (right ankle) and Robert Williams III (right knee) are all questionable for the Trail Blazers.
The Lakers are 2-0 against Portland this season and have won the teams’ past five meetings.
–Field Level Media
