By Sunday 
The Los Angeles Lakers had a golden opportunity to shift momentum in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon. Instead, they came up short — and frustration is starting to bubble over, not just because of the loss itself, but because of Luka Doncic’s late-game habits.
A Solid Stat Line, but Not the Full Story
On paper, Luka Doncic had a strong night: 38 points on 13-of-28 shooting. But a closer look reveals why fans weren’t celebrating. Despite the big scoring numbers, the Lakers still fell, 116-113, putting them down 3-1 in the series. And as painful as the loss was, what really lit up social media was the way Doncic handled the closing minutes.
Fans Sound Off
After the game, an X post from @ProvideContext hit a nerve, calling out Luka’s conditioning and decision-making under pressure. Fans quickly piled on in agreement, not holding back.
One fan shared, “Pray LeBron can get him right in the offseason bc realistically next year is prolly the last year he can contend as a 1B.”
Another added, “People are gonna say he scored 38 points, but aside from being terrible on defense, this way of playing offense is also terrible, he didn’t give up the ball for 5 straight minutes in the 4th quarter, dribbling the air out of the ball while LeBron James is used like Trevor Ariza!”
And it wasn’t just about ball movement. Luka’s constant lobbying for fouls rubbed fans the wrong way too. As one commenter put it, “He complains way too much too. Sometimes it seems like he wants a bailout foul call more than a bucket. Always comes at the worse times too.”
Fight or Flight in Game 5
The Lakers’ season now hangs by a thread. They’ll get another shot to stay alive when they host Minnesota for Game 5 on Wednesday night (10 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, and Max).
Whether Luka can adjust his game — and whether the Lakers can rally around him — will be the big question heading into a do-or-die matchup.