Luka Doncic scored 52 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers escape Utah with a win Sunday, but his postgame message focused on the trouble they created for themselves.
After the Lakers erased an 18-point deficit to beat the Jazz 132-123, Doncic told Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell that the team needed to learn from its opening stretch.
"Played the basketball we know how to play. We learned our lesson, so we cannot start games like this anymore."
Luka Dončić (52 PTS, 8 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL) talks with @LakersReporter following the #Lakers 132-123 win in Utah. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/ThdvJlCqUP
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 25, 2026
“We learned our lesson, so we cannot start games like this anymore,” Doncic said.
Doncic also credited the Lakers with returning to the level of basketball they expected of themselves.
His warning gave the comeback a clear qualification: Los Angeles found a way out of a difficult position, but its star did not want that to become the team’s formula.
Lakers needed a 45-point second quarter to recover
The size of the turnaround helps explain Doncic’s concern. Los Angeles won the second quarter 45-24 and reached halftime ahead 74-71.
Austin Reaves scored all 15 of his first-half points during that quarter, while Sandro Mamukelashvili added nine. Doncic went into the break with 25 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
That meant the Lakers had already required a 21-point advantage in one quarter simply to take a three-point lead. Reaves and Mamukelashvili supplied 24 of the team’s 45 points in the period, giving Doncic substantial help as Los Angeles recovered.
Redick had identified the problem before the game was over. Redick said the Lakers had not been ready at the beginning of the game.
What a turnaround for LAL, who trailed by as many as 18 due to what JJ Redick described on @SpectrumSN just now as not being ready to play early, but rallied all the way back to take a 74-71 lead into halftime with Luka (25P) scoring 6 points in the final 33 seconds. Redick added…
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 25, 2026
The second-quarter response addressed the immediate deficit. Doncic’s comments afterward addressed whether Los Angeles could avoid putting itself in that position again.
Doncic’s 52 points came with help from Reaves
Doncic finished with eight rebounds and 10 assists to go with his 52 points. Reaves supplied 29 points, four assists and two blocks, giving the starting guards a combined 81 points.
Collin Sexton added 13 points, while Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams scored 11 apiece. Sexton’s contribution followed Reaves’ praise for his defensive energy in his Lakers debut against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Even after the Lakers had overcome their early deficit, Doncic still had to deliver late. Consecutive fourth-quarter 3-pointers took Doncic to 50 points and gave Los Angeles a 127-121 lead.
50 BURGER FOR LUKA pic.twitter.com/yGkMHhEkB5
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) October 25, 2026
Reaves’ postgame assessment emphasized the group’s priorities. He said the players were willing to put winning ahead of their egos, regardless of how a victory came together.
"That's the beautiful thing about our team is there's no egos; there's no anything, you just want to win basketball games. However that happens is the main thing."
Austin Reaves (29 PTS, REB, 4 AST, STL, 2 BLK) speaks to the media after the #Lakers 132-123 win in Utah. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/O1tqKZnamp
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 26, 2026
Redick, meanwhile, expressed pride in the team’s ability to grind out the result. The coach’s reaction recognized the response, while Doncic’s warning kept attention on what had made that response necessary.
The Lakers had plenty to take from a game in which Doncic dominated, Reaves helped drive the comeback and several teammates contributed offensively.
The next step, as Doncic made clear, is giving themselves a better starting point.
