Luka Doncic’s 52 points led the Los Angeles Lakers past the Utah Jazz on Sunday, but JJ Redick also had reason to praise his star’s work on defense.
Doncic stripped Ace Bailey near the end of the first half and drew a fourth-quarter charge against Keyonte George during the Lakers’ 132-123 comeback victory. Those possessions gave Los Angeles help at the other end of the floor while Doncic carried its scoring attack.
Redick’s assessment extended beyond Sunday’s closing stretch. The coach said he had already spoken with Doncic about his defense earlier that day.
In addition to this sequence to close out the first half, Luka Doncic also drew a charge against Keyonte George in the midst of his scoring flurry in the 4Q (13 points in final 4:06).
JJ Redick: "I told him this earlier today: Defensively, he's been really good going into… https://t.co/o64QV1VxJT pic.twitter.com/oDSzrFD5cQ
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 26, 2026
“Defensively, he’s been really good going into tonight,” Redick said. “He didn’t start the game with the right physicality on Bailey. … He’ll own all that stuff. I thought as the game progressed, it was the defensive version of Luka that we love to see.”
The praise came after a game that also exposed problems for the Lakers. They fell behind by 18 points before recovering, with defensive playmaking helping them overcome a start that Redick had criticized.
Luka Doncic made defensive plays during Lakers’ comeback
One of Doncic’s most productive sequences came immediately before halftime. Doncic took the ball from Bailey and later made a pull-up 3-pointer over him, helping the Lakers reach the break ahead 74-71.
Strong-two way sequence from Luka Doncic to close out the first half: Strips Ace Bailey before hitting a pull-up 3 over Ace, giving the Lakers their biggest lead of the game after trailing by 18 in the 2Q.
Lakers up 74-71 going into halftime. pic.twitter.com/fDVnzgKqAN
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 25, 2026
That sequence gave Los Angeles more than a difficult basket. Doncic ended a Utah possession before contributing to the scoring that completed the first-half turnaround.
His involvement on both sides of the ball helped the Lakers turn an early deficit into a lead. The charge against George supplied another defensive contribution during Doncic’s fourth-quarter scoring surge.
Doncic scored 13 points over the final 4:06 while also drawing the offensive foul. A charge does not appear in a player’s steals or blocks total, but it still ends the opponent’s possession.
That made it a meaningful part of Doncic’s closing stretch alongside the shots that attracted most of the attention. The two sequences illustrated different ways he could contribute: taking the ball from Bailey and drawing a foul against George.
Neither required the Lakers to rely solely on their center to produce a stop.
Lakers’ early problems went beyond shot-making
Utah’s opening-quarter production showed why those defensive possessions mattered. The Jazz collected six offensive rebounds, five of them by Bailey, and scored 16 second-chance points.
Utah also held a 24-4 advantage in points in the paint during the period and made five of its 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
| First-quarter category | Utah’s production |
|---|---|
| Offensive rebounds | 6 |
| Bailey’s offensive rebounds | 5 |
| Second-chance points | 16 |
| Points in the paint | 24, compared with 4 for Los Angeles |
| 3-point shooting | 5-for-10 |
Those numbers point to more than a hot shooting stretch. The Lakers were allowing Utah to extend possessions after misses while also giving up production close to the basket.
Forcing a missed shot was not enough when the Jazz recovered the ball. Redick addressed the start during the game. The coach said Los Angeles had not been ready to play early, even as the Lakers recovered to take the halftime lead.
Doncic’s defensive contributions were part of that response, but he was not the only player creating opportunities. In the third quarter, Matisse Thybulle’s third steal led to an Austin Reaves basket and a foul, pushing the Lakers ahead 88-82 before the free throw.
Redick’s praise fits his expectations for Doncic
The coach had addressed another part of Doncic’s defensive responsibility before Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Redick said he was comfortable with Doncic talking to officials provided it did not leave the Lakers defending a five-on-four transition opportunity.
Sunday offered examples of Doncic actively ending possessions. His defense gave Redick something specific to recognize alongside his scoring, without erasing the problems Los Angeles had to overcome earlier.
Doncic also shared credit for the comeback. In his postgame comments, he emphasized his teammates’ role in recovering from the deficit.
On a night he scored 52 points, Luka Doncic gave credit to his teammates for erasing an 18-point deficit in the Lakers' comeback win against the Jazz: "I wouldn't say it was me. I think it was the whole group. We showed a lot of character, a lot of heart." pic.twitter.com/HrhnzEm6Mp
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 26, 2026
“I think it was the whole group,” Doncic said. “We showed a lot of character, a lot of heart.”
That response complemented his warning about the Lakers’ slow start. Los Angeles found the plays it needed to win, including defensive contributions from its leading scorer.
The next challenge is producing that level of engagement before another opponent builds a substantial lead.
