LeBron James was hyped as Luka Doncic finally had his signature game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“That’s the Luka that we’re all accustomed to and have been watching over the last seven years especially, that left side of the floor with his step back going in,” James told reporters after Doncic led the Lakers to an impressive 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets. “Pretty damn dangerous and big-time game from him tonight.”
Doncic let out a scream after hitting a step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of Nuggets wing Christian Braun for a 21-point Lakers lead near the end of the first half.
It was the blackout moment that Lakers rookie head coach JJ Redick implored Doncic to do to get his confidence back.
“He was super dialed in,” James said of Doncic. “He was very locked in on what he wanted to do out here on the floor tonight. Once he started hitting those step-back 3s and got to yelling and barking, either at the fans or at us, or himself.”
Redick lit up the competitive fire under Doncic’s belly with a pep talk.
“I want at least one blackout episode where he’s screaming indiscriminately at no one in particular because he’s excited,” Redick told reporters before the game. “That means he’s back. That’s the Luka I know. The killer.”
‘Killer’ Luka is Back
Doncic responded with his best game since arriving in the trade that not only stunned the NBA but the whole world. He finished with a game-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals, all team-highs, as the Lakers finally snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Nuggets.
James supported Doncic with 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting with nine rebounds and five assists.
Another proof that Doncic was back to his old competitive self was the technical foul he picked up at the end of the first half for arguing over a non-call on his drive.
“I don’t think he said too much to get the T, kind of picking on this right now with the short leash on technicals but he got hit in the head before the half,” James said about the incident. “Besides that, he was just dying in what he wanted to do and how he wanted to execute his game plan individually.”
Luka-LeBron Connection
Doncic was aggressive from the start, hunting for mismatches and setting up his teammates.
His first assist of the game was another go-ahead pass to a streaking James for an easy basket in transition.
“I’m a natural-born wide receiver and he’s a natural-born quarterback, so it fits perfectly,” James said of the play that is becoming a part of their two-man game. “I’ve been running the floor and running lanes pretty much my whole life and he’s been throwing great passes pretty much his whole life.”
“So, it’s not hard to get a rhythm when it comes to that. It’s just all about eye contact and him being the great quarterback like he is and me being the recipient of it.”
Doncic also had his first alley-oop assist to James for a dunk.
There will be more of those highlights as their chemistry gets better with more reps.
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