Luka Doncic stats tonight: Lakers’ new superstar plays just 23 minutes in blowout loss vs Jazz (Feb. 12)

Luka Doncic and the LA Lakers squared off against the Utah Jazz for the second time in three days on Wednesday, following a commanding 132-113 victory in the former Dallas Mavericks star’s debut with his new squad on Monday.

However, this time around, the Jazz flipped the script, securing a 131-119 victory. While the final margin was 12 points, Utah controlled the game, leading by as many as 25 behind a balanced attack featuring six double-digit scorers.

Doncic came out more aggressive and decisive from the opening tip. Though he missed his first three shots, he got on the board midway through the first quarter with a layup off an assist from LeBron James.

He later added an alley-oop to Jaxson Hayes and knocked down a 3-pointer before heading to the bench for a breather.

The Slovenian star maintained his assertiveness in the second quarter, increasing his total to 13 points — the highest first-half tally among the Lakers. He also contributed two assists and two rebounds before intermission.

Doncic added just four points in the third quarter before being subbed out for good as the Jazz ran away with the game. Utah outscored the Lakers 40-30 in the period and maintained control until the final buzzer.

Below are Luka Doncic’s complete stats.

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	STL	BLK	TO	PF	=+/-
Luka Doncic	23:06	16	4	4	6	13	46.2	3	8	37.5	1	5	20.0	1	3	1	1	5	5	-19

Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 32 points, while Jazz guards Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George followed with 21 and 20, respectively.

Utah’s frontcourt also delivered, with John Collins and Walker Kessler posting 17 and 16 points apiece, along with eight rebounds each. Kessler also swatted six shots.

Isaiah Collier rounded out the Jazz’s scoring leaders with 10 points.

For the Lakers, Rui Hachimura led the way with 19 points, while LeBron James contributed 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht each chipped in 10, with Knecht making his first appearance since the canceled trade to Charlotte.

Bronny James notched a career-high nine points.

Dwyane Wade has interesting advice on Luka Doncic’s minutes

Dwyane Wade, who spent 16 seasons in the NBA before retiring, shared his perspective on Luka Doncic’s workload on an episode of his YouTube show, advising Lakers coach JJ Redick to be mindful of his star guard’s minutes to ensure long-term durability.

“As a player, you want to be out there your max minutes. But as I got a little — not older in my 30s, but as I started getting older Spo would take my minutes down, and he was like, ‘You’re going to be more productive in the least amount of minutes because you out there getting rest because you’re doing so much on offense,’” Wade recalled (per Heat Nation).

“So, I gotta look at JJ, and I gotta say, JJ, you have to make sure that you looking at Luka not just because he’s so great with the ball that you just keeping him on the floor all the time. You may have to cut back Luka’s minutes a little bit. Doesn’t mean his scoring gonna go down, ’cause he scores at a high clip anyway.”

Before Doncic’s Lakers debut, Redick stated that he would be limited to 30 minutes per game. However, with both of his first two outings ending in blowouts, he has yet to play more than 23 minutes in either contest against the Jazz.