Lakers Coach Reveals Level of Concern for Luka Doncic After Loss to Warriors

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 8:30 AM ET

Luka Doncic scored 43 points, but the Lakers lost to the Warriors 119-109 in the season opener.
Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 31 points; Steph Curry added 23 points.
Coach Redick reacts to Doncic’s heavy workload amid LeBron's absence.

Five-time All-Star guard Luka Doncic did all he could for the Los Angeles Lakers in their highly anticipated opening-night matchup against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Doncic dropped 43 points on 17-of-27 shooting — his career-high to open a season — 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, a block and two triples in 41 minutes of action.

It still wasn’t enough for the Lakers, though, who suffered a tough 119-109 loss to the Warriors in front of a capacity crowd at Crypto.com Arena. Despite Doncic’s valiant effort, the Lakers are down 0-1 to start the 2025-26 campaign.

Luka Doncic leads with 43 points in Lakers loss to the Warriors in their first regular season game. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It was Jimmy Butler who led the charge for the Warriors on Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 31 points on 16-of-16 from the charity stripe. Steph Curry registered 23 points with three triples, while Buddy Hield came off the bench to log 17 points in 22 minutes of play.

The Lakers, on the other hand, got 26 points and nine assists from Austin Reaves. Deandre Ayton registered 10 points and six rebounds in his Lakers debut. No other player scored in double figures for L.A.

One of the questions Lakers coach JJ Redick faced after the loss centered on Doncic’s heavy workload, which comes amid LeBron James’ absence. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is expected to be out until at least mid-November due to sciatica, meaning the Lakers will need to lean on Doncic heavily until James returns.

Redick, however, does not see any issue with this. According to Lakers Nation on X, Redick said after the game that he is “not concerned” about Doncic’s heavy workload. The Lakers coach emphasized that “every game is different.”

Doncic attempted 27 shots against the Warriors on Tuesday night. That accounted for 35% of L.A.’s total attempts on the evening. The 26-year-old’s 41 minutes is also the most minutes played by any player on the team.

As Redick implied, however, it’s going to be a case-by-case basis for Doncic on any given night. Up next for the 0-1 Lakers is another home game on Friday. They will face the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time since last season’s 4-1 sweep in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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