標籤: downplays

LOS ANGELES – After a three-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to get back on track with consecutive blowout wins, most recently a 128-104 win against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. During the Lakers’ loss, fans and media alike criticized him, and then started singing praises after the win, but Luka Doncic didn’t pay any attention to it.

After the Lakers’ win against the Kings, Luka Doncic talked about not thinking too far ahead and staying grounded while blocking out what outside voices have to say.

“Obviously it was two great wins. But we have to take it game by game,” Doncic said. “Obviously there’s a lot of noise outside. I try not to pay attention to that. We’ve got to go game by game and the last two games have been good.”

Doncic did his part in helping the Lakers get the narrow win. He finished with a game-high 28 points in 29 minutes while shooting 10 of 16 from the field, 4 of 8 from the 3-point line and 4 of 7 from the free-throw line. He also added five rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one blocked shot.

Earlier in the season, Doncic was a strong contender for the MVP award. Although those discussions have cooled off since then, it’s possible he finds himself back in the running depending on how the rest of the Lakers’ season goes.

Doncic currently leads the NBA in scoring with 32.6 points per game. He also averaged 7.7 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.4 steals while splitting 47.1 percent shooting from the field, 35.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Following the Lakers’ win against the Warriors, head coach JJ Redick spoke about his confidence in the team still being able to reach the level of competitiveness he wants them to perform on a consistent basis. After the win against the Kings, he also admitted not to get too caught up in outside noise.

“The world has fallen for us 19 times. It’s part of the nature of this cycle,” Redick said. “As I’ve talked about every game, our players have bounced back and responded well throughout the season. We’re tied for fifth and a few games into the loss column and none of these teams are coming at us. We’re just going to keep playing to win.”

The Lakers’ next chance to add to their current winning streak is on Tuesday, March 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The New York Knicks could not unseat the Detroit Pistons in the 2025-26 NBA season.

On Thursday, the Knicks again failed in their mission to pick up a win at the expense of Detroit, as they lost 126–111 to the visiting Pistons. This was New York’s third loss against Cade Cunningham and Co. this campaign, which also means they have lost this regular season series.

Each of Detroit’s losses was a double-digit blowout. The first meeting in Detroit ended with a score of 121–90, with the Pistons defeating the Knicks 118–80 in the second meeting.

Given how the Pistons have misbehaved in New York this season, it appears that the Detroit Knicks will have their biggest nightmare in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

But for Knicks newcomer Jose Alvarado, New York’s outlook in the postseason, if it meets the Pistons there, is not as discouraging as it seems.

“The playoffs are a completely different ballgame,” Alvarado said after the game (h/t Knicks Video). “We’re not going to sit here and say, ‘Oh, they beat us in the regular season…’ We’re not thinking like that.”

Still, it’s clear that the Pistons are a big thorn in the side for New York.

The Knicks eliminated Detroit in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, but the Pistons have since become one of the best teams not only in the East but in the entire league. At this point in the season only the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder have more wins than Detroit, improving to 41–13. The Knicks, on the other hand, fell to 35-21.