Luka Doncic gives his thoughts on the Lakers' Big Three and where they currently stand against the rest of the league.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, 111-89, in a game where they were down by ten at the half and never recovered.
The latest setback was another loss for the Lakers to a team that is above .500. They are 11-14 against teams above .500, and they have lost 16 games by ten or more points, which is the most 10+ point losses for any team in the top eight in the East or West.
The Lakers' last win over a team in the top six in the West came on January 20 against the Denver Nuggets, who were missing Nikola Jokic.
Luka Doncic Addresses The Big Three
Speaking after the loss to Boston, Luka Doncic was asked where he thinks he, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James are in their progression in terms of maximizing what they can do.
"I think you see, we're not there yet. We're working on it. There should be big potential about us three playing together," he said.
The Lakers' big three have played in just eight games together this season, totaling 140 minutes on the floor as a trio.
The results haven't been so great when all three are on the floor together, as they have been outscored by the opposition by 24 points.
They have a 107.7 offensive rating, and a 117.4 defensive rating.
Getting Physical
Luka was asked if the team is still looking inward as they try to pick up a victory over one of the better teams, or if the result hangs a bit heavier given where Boston stands.
"We need to look at how teams like Boston play, especially on the defensive end, they are very aggressive, grabs and holds, the referees are letting us play. We need to look a little bit at that play and play physically, I'd say on both ends," he said.
The Lakers' defense has come under much scrutiny this season as their 116.7 defensive rating puts them at 24th in the league, only better than the lowly Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards. None of those teams are in the playoffs.
Their -0.7 net rating is 18th in the league, and the lowest of any playoff team.
The Nuggets have a 116.3 defensive rating, just barely better than the Lakers, but they have the league's best offense with a 120.9 rating.
While their defense hasn't been up to par with some of the top teams, their offense hasn't been strong enough to mitigate their defensive shortcomings.