Luka Doncic is slowly getting his chemistry together with the Los Angeles Lakers. On Saturday, Doncic and the Lakers took on the Denver Nuggets on their home court in Denver. The Lakers won 123-100. Doncic scored 32 points, shooting 10-of-22 from the field and 4-of-9 from the three-point line. He also had ten rebounds and seven assists. LeBron James of the Lakers scored 25 points, shooting 11-of-19 from the field with nine rebounds and five assists.
With the win against the Nuggets on Saturday, the Lakers were fourth in the Western Conference. On Tuesday night, Doncic faced the Dallas Mavericks in Los Angeles for the first time since the blockbuster trade sent Anthony Davis to Dallas and Doncic to Los Angeles earlier this month. With no Davis in the Mavs lineup, could Doncic and the Lakers extend their current win streak to three?
Triple-Double At the LakeShow
Doncic had his best performance as a Laker in Denver on Saturday. Could he continue to excel in his talent as a Laker against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks? Expectations were high when Doncic received a technical foul in the early minutes of the first quarter. He would finish with nine points after the first, and Los Angeles led by eight. In the second quarter, he would play maestro to the Laker offense, dropping dimes to Austin Reaves who finished the game with 20 points. Rui Hachimura scored 15 points in 38 minutes.
Even with the Mavericks going on a 12-4 run at the end of the first half, the Lakers would still lead by eight, 59-51. Doncic would finish the first half with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. This man was three assists away from a triple-double at halftime. King James would end the half with nine points and six rebounds. The Mavs would make the Lakers work in the second half outscoring the Lakers in the third quarter 26-19. But when you have James on your roster, closing a game is nearly impossible.
James scored 16 of his 27 points against Dallas in the fourth quarter. He had 12 rebounds, and James would end the game with a double-double. Doncic would finish the game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists, his first triple-double as a Laker. After the game at the press conference, Doncic expressed that he is glad to have the game with Dallas over, and now he can focus on other challenges.
Another Win For the Lakers
Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 107-99. The Lakers shot 44% from the field and turned the ball over 14 times, giving the Mavs ten points off those turnovers. The Lakers scored 52 points in the paint and 20 points on fastbreaks. Dallas was without Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Caleb Martin. Since the Doncic trade, the Lakers have won eight of the last ten games, the same winning streak Los Angeles had before the trade.
During their current winning streak, the Lakers have won against three of the top nine teams in the Western Conference (Golden State Warriors, L.A. Clippers, Denver Nuggets). As the Lakers and Doncic continue to get to know each other, what will these past two performances come from this Laker squad? The Lakers still sit at the top of the Pacific division. Are the Lakers top contenders in the Western Conference?
Final Thoughts
If you watched this game, you could tell early on that it was a statement game from Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks organization. During the first quarter, there were times when Doncic would score and look at the bench. This would happen many times during the first half. We have watched Doncic carry the Mavs to the Western Conference finals, and he couldn’t close the deal in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers have two of the best scoring players in the league, so why wouldn’t a Lakers fan think this team could make it deep into the playoffs? There’s a lot of basketball left, and the Lakers don’t look like they are getting worse. The Lakers’ next game will be against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
