"Can't do that against a good team" - Lakers rivals unfazed by Luka Doncic's bounce back game against Zion Williamson-less Pelicans

By Amlan Sanyal

Modified Apr 05, 2025 07:41 GMT

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers - Source: Imagn

Luka Doncic led the LA Lakers in points and minutes as they crushed the New Orleans Pelicans (124-108) on Friday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back on their home court, the Lakers bounced back from a deflating loss against the Warriors (123-116) on Thursday.

NBA fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the performance from Doncic and co. but seemingly downplayed their win against an undermanned Pelicans roster without the services of Zion Williamson.

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"Can't do that against a good team" - Said one fan.

"Pelicans, doesn't count sadly for LeMickey and his Goon Squad" - said another fan.

"Decimated pelicans team lmao this don’t move me" - Vented another fan.

"Against the depleted Pelicans" - Joked another fan.

"Luka said “give me the Pelicans or I will retire”" - Said another fan.

"Bounce back should be expected against the league's worst team" - Replied another fan.

Doncic's performance on Thursday against the Warriors had raised many questions, with his 0-6 shooting from downtown seen as a cause for concern.

Luka Doncic started out cold from the floor against the Pelicans, missing all of his field goal attempts in the first quarter. He eventually found his groove, finishing with 35 points, six rebounds and six assists, going 10-21 from the floor and 4-10 from downtown. Doncic's strong recovery performance bodes well for the Lakers after he failed to nail a three-pointer against the Warriors. The Lakers (47-30) took over the third seed in the West with this win, leapfrogging the Nuggets (47-31).

Luka Doncic makes his feelings clear about renewed shooting stroke

Doncic had been critical of his performance against the Warriors on Thursday, admonishing his performance with a promise to be better in subsequent games. In the post-game interview after the Lakers win over the Pelicans, Doncic cut a satisfied figure, calling the win 'a must-win game.'

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Speaking about his slow start to the game, he dubbed the first quarter as probably the worst quarter of his life and reserved praise for teammates LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

About the author

Amlan Sanyal is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with more than two years of experience. Amlan has a soft spot for the lovable loser, and years of supporting Leeds Utd, the Seattle Mariners and San Antonio Spurs have made him realize that there's more to sport than just championships.

Amlan started falling for basketball after watching the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and 2013. He watched as a collective of veteran legends, underrated misfits and a young defensive stud extended the Spurs' era of dominance with a team-oriented style, reminiscent of the aesthetic brilliance of 2011 FC Barcelona.

Amlan has supported the Spurs ever since, even after enduring the heartbreaks of Ray Allen's corner three and several years in the wilderness post-Kawhi Leonard. He hopes Victor Wembanyama will become the face of the league as Pop rides off into the sunset.

When not working, Amlan is a keen quizzer and a podcast buff and can usually be found reading books, watching movies or listening to history podcasts.

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Edited by Amlan Sanyal