Luka Doncic praised the Los Angeles Lakers’ defensive performance on March 9 after their victory over the New York Knicks at home. The Lakers held the Knicks, one of the league’s top offenses, to just 97 points and forced 18 turnovers while limiting them to 43% shooting.
The win is significant for the Lakers, who have struggled defensively throughout much of the season. Doncic said after the game, “It was great. At the start of the game, I think everybody was really locked in, especially on the defensive end. I think we did a great job of holding a team like the New York Knicks under 100, it’s pretty amazing for us.”
Doncic explained that improved communication and focus have contributed to recent defensive gains. “I think we just talked about it during the season, that we definitely need to be a better defensive team,” he said. “And I think we’ve shown we can do it. We told on ourselves, so we gotta keep doing that.”
With this win, the Lakers have now won five of their last six games and are only one game behind third place in the Western Conference standings. Despite their recent success, Doncic noted that beating a strong opponent like New York could help boost team morale moving forward. “It’s a pretty awesome win, for sure,” Doncic said. “They just beat the Nuggets by 40, so I think it’s a pretty good win for us. Gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.”
Doncic also credited his teammates Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves for setting an example defensively by taking charges throughout the season. He said, “JJ mentioned it before the season. I think we’re number one in charges, which is pretty awesome. So just trying to copy Marcus and AR.”
As their schedule becomes more challenging in upcoming games, Doncic hopes Sunday’s performance will serve as motivation for continued improvement.
