Lakers have a Luka Doncic masterpiece and still find way to fall apart

October 31, 2026

The Lakers got 21 points from Luka Doncic in the first quarter Friday night. They led the Warriors by 23. They looked like they might win by 40.

Instead, they lost by 17. Now, I’m no mathematician, but that seems like a fairly significant swing.

Doncic finished with 37 points, and the Lakers still lost, 112-95, in their NBA Cup opener at Golden State. Frankly, it takes some doing to get that kind of performance from your best player, build that kind of lead and end up getting run out of the gym.

But the Lakers found a way. They led 38-15 after one quarter. The Warriors then outscored them 38-15 in the second.

Yes, the exact same score, only reversed. You almost have to admire the symmetry, if you’re not a Lakers fan.

The trouble started when Doncic went to the bench and the offense pretty much went with him. The Warriors started making shots, the Lakers started making mistakes, and suddenly what looked like a laugher was a game again.

It only got worse. The Lakers managed just 57 points over the final three quarters, committed 20 turnovers and watched Golden State put together an 18-0 run in the fourth.

By then, Stephen Curry and the Warriors had gone from looking completely lost to looking like the team everyone expected to see.

And the Lakers? Well, they looked like a team that still has plenty to figure out.

This wasn’t about Doncic. He did his job and then some. The problem is that the Lakers can’t expect him to score 20 every quarter just to keep things respectable.

They also can’t expect to win many games when their bench gives them so little, the turnovers pile up and a 23-point lead disappears before halftime.

It’s one loss, sure. But it’s also a fairly good reminder that having one of the best players in basketball doesn’t necessarily make you one of the best teams.

The Lakers have plenty of talent. What they need now is to figure out how to win when Doncic isn’t doing practically everything.

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