Dončić Dismisses Fatigue Concerns as Lakers Face Elimination: We Just Need to Believe

The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves trailing 1-3 in the Western Conference Playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Following their recent defeat, in which the Lakers led by double digits heading into the final quarter, a key observation is that the LA team relied on just five players for the entire second half.

Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith were the only ones on the court throughout the third and fourth quarters, prompting questions about whether fatigue contributed to the Lakers’ downfall.

However, Luka doesn’t share that perspective.

“This is playoff basketball; fatigue shouldn’t play a factor. I logged a lot of minutes, but that’s irrelevant. I believe they simply performed better defensively in the closing moments,” Dončić stated after the game.

He played nearly 46 minutes and scored 38 points, yet it wasn’t sufficient. Despite being in a challenging situation, he remains optimistic about the Lakers’ prospects.

“It’s disappointing for sure, but there’s still hope. We haven’t lost everything yet. It’s first to four wins, and we must continue to have faith,” Dončić concluded.