With the highest scoring duo in the NBA, it’s no surprise the Lakers are one of the best offenses in the league.
Doncic, who will miss Thursday’s game for personal reasons, leads the league with 35.3 points per game. Reaves, who is setting himself up for a hefty pay day this offseason, is averaging a career-best 28.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. The Lakers are first in field goal percentage (51.3%) and rank eighth in offensive rating, averaging 118.3 points per 100 possessions.
The most glaring deficiency is turnovers, where the Lakers rank last in turnover percentage (16.2%).
They had 22 turnovers against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the first game of what should be a revealing stretch of games.
The Lakers weren’t punished for their lackadaisical play during their seven-game winning streak against teams with losing records. But the Suns, who lead the league in steals, had no problem turning Doncic’s full-court prayer passes into transition buckets.
The Toronto Raptors will be an even bigger challenge. The Raptors are fifth in the NBA in defensive rating and third in deflections, ahead of the fourth-ranked Suns.
