‘Has to stop’… What Luka Doncic did was screwing up LA Lakers offense, ‘people around the team’ agree, claims Chris Mannix

A stop-start contest saw the Lakers score only 13 points in the fourth quarter to grind out a 94-85 victory.

And while Luka Doncic scored a team-high 31 points, he has been blamed for stifling the team’s offense with his total focus on taking on Rudy Gobert.

Luka Doncic loves to take on Rudy Gobert

Luka Doncic haunted the Minnesota Timberwolves and Rudy Gobert in the Western Conference Finals last season with the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic’s late shot over Gobert in Game 7 was the defining moment, one that brought a tear to his eye when reminiscing on his recent return to Dallas.

Taking on Gobert again in a series with the Lakers, Doncic has scored 68 points through his opening two playoff games, entering his name in rare franchise history in the process for consecutive 30+ games to open.

And speaking after the game, Doncic spoke about his enjoyment attacking Gobert, and embracing how the home crowd responded.

But ahead of Game 3, reporter Chris Mannix expressed concerns with Doncic’s approach, claiming these are shared within the Lakers.

Chris Mannix on Luka Doncic

Mannix explained: “Luka has to stop hunting like, I know he loves generally speaking, the center screens, right? Like, he loves hunting centers, like we he always wants to go one on one with the center that’s been his MO for his whole career.

“But he especially loves to go after, and he’s put Rudy on posters, He’s put him on highlight reels. He has made him a YouTube clip, Snapchat, Instagram, everything, what all the kids are watching. Tik Tok. He has made Rudy go viral.

“It felt Rachel watching that game last night that he was trying to do it over and over and over again,” he said, speaking to co-host Rachel Nichols on the Sports Illustrated podcast.

And he argues that Doncic’s persistence in going back to the well, led to the Lakers’ offense beginning to break down late in the game.

“He had that play in the second quarter, we went to the basketball, faked him at the baseline jump shot, camera pans to him. He’s yelling, ‘sub him out’ at Rudy, like he had that moment. But in the fourth quarter, and really the whole second half, he was hunting that switch, and he kept trying to do everything on his own.

“I thought that was malfunctioning, or screwing up the Lakers offense.

“Talking to people around the team like they agree with me on that one. There was too much Rudy hunting.

“And look, you want to take advantage of Rudy on the perimeter when he’s on the floor. Austin Reaves did it. Luka did it. Everybody’s gonna try to do it. But that can’t be your entire offense.”

Four-times Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert not afraid to be put in situations by Luka Doncic, embracing the challenge no matter now difficult.

Like with any offensive strategy, when it is concentrated in a similar way, it can favor the defense due to a a lack of variety, and the Lakers need to switch it up.

Entering Game 3, the series will take a different vibe, with Minnesota Timberwolves having home advantage, and the fresh situation is a chance for the Lakers to come out of their shell and lay down a statement.