Luka Doncic Makes Unfortunate NBA History in Third Game with the Lakers.
Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers guard, played on Wednesday in his third game since being traded from the Dallas Mavericks. In his first two games with the Lakers before the All-Star break, Doncic averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, while being limited to just 23.5 minutes per game.
Ahead of the Wednesday game, it was reported that Doncic would no longer be restricted by a minutes limit (via ESPN’s Shams Charania). Despite playing 15 minutes and 33 seconds in the first half against Charlotte, Doncic didn’t seem to be at his best.
He committed five turnovers and missed all five of his three-point attempts, making his first half forgettable. The first quarter was especially tough for Doncic, as he recorded all five of his turnovers in just eight minutes. This resulted in an unfortunate NBA record.
According to Basketball Reference’s StatHead (h/t Ahaan Rungta on X), Doncic became the NBA’s only player this season to commit five turnovers in under 12 minutes in the first quarter, and only the 14th player ever to do so in under nine minutes.
Despite his struggles, Los Angeles led 28-21 after the first quarter and extended the lead to 48-37 by halftime. Although the turnovers were unusual for him, Doncic still contributed seven rebounds and five assists in the first half.
Before Wednesday’s game, Doncic had been averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists over 24 games between Dallas and Los Angeles this season.