Luka Doncic Caught on Camera Foul-Mouthing Santi Aldama in Heated Lakers vs. Grizzlies Matchup

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has taken the lead of his team and fueled them to back-to-back wins after a disappointing December.

Luka Doncic Caught on Camera Foul-Mouthing Santi Aldama in Heated Lakers vs. Grizzlies Matchup

Santi Aldama and Luka Doncic (Image via FirstSportz)

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Luka Doncic and his Los Angeles Lakers are just coming off their most trying month so far, with more losses than wins, which has forced everyone to raise questions about the team’s focus.

Head coach JJ Redick was livid with his players’ lack of focus and effort, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Moreover, there were turnovers, which had become an increasing problem for Doncic and fellow team leader LeBron James.

Their first game of the New Year saw them welcome the Memphis Grizzlies at home. In the first battle, Doncic and James led the team to a comfortable 128-121 win.

However, in that game, the Lakers racked up 20 turnovers, with the Slovenian guilty of six of them as the team’s primary ball handler. In their second game, the 26-year-old was visibly more careful with his passes.

Not only was he careful with his passing, but Doncic was visibly more involved in his team’s defensive schemes. With a little more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, and with his team down by five points, the guard was on his toes.

F*****g soft a** b***h.

Luka Doncic yelled

This was the 5-time All-NBA 1st-teamer’s foul-mouthed rant after officials called him for a foul on Grizzlies star Santi Aldama. The reason he had such a reaction was that this was the second foul Aldama drew out of the Lakers star in a matter of seconds.

It seems the manner in which the Spaniard went down from minimal contact was what probably led Luka Doncic to express his frustrations.

Luka Doncic had the last laugh on Santi Aldama’s Grizzlies

Los Angeles Lakers fans inside Crypto.com Arena were nervous as their team could not come close to taking the lead for most of the game.

Even though a LeBron James-led rally brought them close with less than nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, it was not enough to hold on to the lead.

Then, only after the clock dropped past the four-minute marker did a Luka Doncic-fueled rally help his team take a lead that they could keep.

One of the shots he took during that run was a drive to the basket, drawing a foul on the very same Santi Aldama who frustrated him earlier in the game.

Then, with a little more than two minutes left, Luka Doncic scored back-to-back three-pointers. His hot hand not only broke whatever confidence the visitors had at that point, but also made sure his team would garner their second-straight win to open the month.

Luka Doncic’s efficiency is important for Lakers to succeed

Luka Doncic finished the game with 36 points off 50% shooting from the field and 40% from the three-point line. The superstar crucially also made 92.3% of his free throws.

Luka Doncic against the Grizzlies
Luka Doncic against the Grizzlies (Image via Independent en Espanol/X)

Whenever the Lakers have lost, their leading scorer’s efficiency stands out as the area opponents focus on. Disrupting his rhythm affects his efficiency, and that is what the Grizzlies were hoping to do.

They managed to impact his three-point shooting in the first game. Thankfully, LeBron James and Jake LaRavia were there to help. In this game, the two were also present with enough production, but Doncic had done his part.

If the Los Angeles Lakers are to succeed, it is clear that they need their most important player to score efficiently and also avoid turnovers. There are others to help share the load, but everything starts and stops with him.

The only way they manage to make a deep run in the postseason is if he continues with this efficiency. Otherwise, the men in purple and gold could face another embarrassing end to their season.

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