The shirt’s been inside LeBron James’ further locker because the day he obtained it, a facsimile of the Lakers’ iconic golden jerseys with No. 77 on the entrance and “Doncic” on the again.

James wore a shirt precisely prefer it throughout pregame warmups on Feb. 10, a really public sign from somebody not often delicate that he was able to embrace the partnership placed on him when the Lakers made the midseason commerce that gave the workforce two of the NBA’s greatest big-game gamers.

However within the Recreation 5 loss to Minnesota that ended their season Wednesday, Luka Doncic was grimacing after a foul jammed his decrease again within the first half. And James barely put weight on his left leg as he limped off the court docket within the fourth quarter.

Nonetheless, with somewhat greater than seven minutes to go, the 2 had been on the court docket, the Lakers able to again up the extensively held perception that the nearer the sport, the higher off they’d be due to their leaders.

The scoreboard in Crypto.com Enviornment confirmed highlights of Doncic and James, their No. 77 and No. 23 uniforms including as much as 100, with simply three minutes to go and the Lakers down two.

However prefer it did late in fourth quarters all through this first-round playoff sequence, the maths by no means added up.

And the duo couldn’t elevate the Lakers to the heights they thought attainable.

And at the same time as that Doncic shirt hung contained in the Lakers’ locker room for the final time, hope that had been constructed over the past two months evaporated because the Lakers once more did not win the largest moments, a 103-96 loss ending their season after simply 5 video games within the first spherical.

“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated. “We obviously wished that.”

James admitted postgame that the midseason commerce that landed the Lakers Doncic clearly modified the workforce’s id, shifting ball-handling duties closely from him and Austin Reaves into Doncic’s arms.

“That whole obviously dynamic changed when we made the acquisition of Luka to how can we change our approach to best fit his game and how can we center our game around his,” James stated. “And I think it’s always challenging when you, you make a, like I said, a big acquisition like that.”

It didn’t matter that Minnesota missed 40 three-point photographs, essentially the most by a workforce in a postseason win. The Timberwolves appeared to seize each rebound. It didn’t matter that Anthony Edwards was simply 5 for 19 from the sector — the Lakers couldn ‘t capitalize. And it didn’t matter that the Lakers had been on their house court docket, Minnesota silencing the followers because it defensively dominated the fourth quarter for the fifth straight recreation.

Luka Doncic crashes into the gang whereas attempting to get the ball within the second quarter.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)

Redick sacrificed measurement for quickness and spacing, benching heart Jaxson Hayes and beginning Dorian Finney-Smith like he did within the second half of Recreation 4. This time Timberwolves heart Rudy Gobert made the Lakers pay with playoff profession highs of 27 factors and 24 rebounds.

Nobody was extra impactful — a nasty signal for the Lakers. Doncic had 28 factors on seven-for-18 capturing. James scored 22 on nine-for-21 capturing. Austin Reaves had solely 12.

“I didn’t have the series that I wanted to have. You could point the finger at me. I really don’t care. I wasn’t good enough to help us be successful and I wish I could have did more, but I didn’t,” Reaves stated. “I struggled. You live and you learn. And I guarantee that I’ll, get back to work this off season and be better.”

All sequence issues by no means appeared simple for the Lakers.

The majority of that credit score ought to go to Minnesota, which not solely appeared just like the extra cohesive workforce but in addition functioned as one designed nearly explicitly to spotlight each one of many Lakers’ blemishes.

The Lakers, who received video games by taking part in exhausting, misplaced to a workforce that at all times appeared to play more durable. The Lakers, who earned home-court benefit by being more durable, misplaced to a workforce that was more durable. And the Lakers, who appeared like they may beat anybody within the common season, misplaced to a workforce that they clearly couldn’t.

Redick, who described the Lakers as “on edge” within the follow earlier than Recreation 5, angrily responded to a pregame query that implied he wanted to lean on his assistant coaches to raised deal with late-game substitutions.

His workforce shortly fell behind. Minnesota’s Julius Randle, the primary piece of the Lakers’ post-Kobe Bryant plans, appeared just like the bulldozing tone-setter the workforce envisioned when it took him within the first spherical in 2014.

LeBron James cringes in ache after injuring his leg within the second half.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)

James and Doncic, who owned the highest two scoring averages in elimination video games in NBA historical past, made simply one among eight photographs within the first quarter. With every miss, the murmurs from the gang grew longer, the followers mirroring the Lakers and their fading probabilities.

The workforce pushed early within the second quarter as Randle and Jaden McDaniels, possibly the sequence’ most useful participant, sat with foul hassle, permitting the Lakers to get inside a single possession on a number of events.

However within the moments when the Lakers and their stars wanted to capitalize, they appeared extra like separate entities than an unstoppable drive. James tried to seek out Doncic as he flared to the nook and threw a cross on to Edwards. Doncic couldn’t play on the defensive string the Lakers all wanted to be pulling on, Minnesota’s simple baskets resulting in James’ open frustration towards the Lakers’ bench.

However with their season on the road, the Lakers did one thing they’d not often accomplished all season: They dominated the third quarter. The Lakers fought again from 14 down to steer on a Dorian Finney-Smith three, buying and selling scores with the Timberwolves to path by only one heading to the fourth.

However prefer it did all sequence, that’s when issues dried up. The Lakers managed simply 16 factors within the fourth on Wednesday and averaged simply 17 fourth-quarter factors within the sequence.

“We executed great in the fourth quarter,” Redick stated. “Missed shots at the rim, missed a bunch of 3s, shot 12-for-52 for the series in the fourth quarter from three … We obviously put ourselves in a position to be in the game three times in the fourth quarter, and just came up short every time.

“But, the offensive part of it in particular tonight, I mean, we missed wide open threes, we missed a couple of shots at the rim. We got good looks.”

It’s the primary time the Lakers ever misplaced a first-round sequence as a No. 3 or greater seed. They fell to 2-12 of their final three playoff sequence.

“Yeah, there’s obviously a lot of different things we can do, I can do,” Doncic stated. “Obviously, everybody got to get better. We’re gonna have a long summer. And should focus on what we can improve as a team and as individuals, everybody.”