LUKA LEADS LAKERS’ ROUT
FINAL
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FINAL
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FINAL
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FINAL
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SUN
FEB 23
1:00 AM ICT (MONDAY)
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3:30 AM ICT (MONDAY)
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5:00 AM ICT (MONDAY)
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123
FINAL
100
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
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LAL: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Christian Koloko
DEN: Peyton Watson, Vlatko Cancar, Trey Alexander, DaRon Holmes II
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| PLAYER | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35:47 | 7 | 12 | 58.3 | 4 | 9 | 44.4 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 14 | |
| 33:02 | 11 | 19 | 57.9 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 9 | |
| 24:38 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |
| 32:59 | 7 | 13 | 53.8 | 4 | 7 | 57.1 | 5 | 6 | 83.3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 13 | |
| 30:38 | 10 | 22 | 45.5 | 4 | 9 | 44.4 | 8 | 8 | 100 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 20 | |
| 26:32 | 1 | 5 | 20.0 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 21 | |
| 19:26 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 17 | |
| 6:28 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11:25 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | |
| 9:08 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |
| 3:19 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3:19 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 3:19 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| DNP – Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||||||||
| DNP – Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 43 | 86 | 50.0 | 16 | 41 | 39.0 | 21 | 25 | 84.0 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 27 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 123 | 23 | |
| PLAYER | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30:10 | 5 | 14 | 35.7 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13 | -12 | |
| 35:16 | 9 | 15 | 60.0 | 4 | 7 | 57.1 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | -25 | |
| 35:10 | 2 | 7 | 28.6 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 8 | 10 | 80.0 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 12 | -11 | |
| 29:02 | 3 | 7 | 42.9 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | |
| 36:28 | 6 | 13 | 46.2 | 6 | 11 | 54.5 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 19 | -28 | |
| 24:11 | 7 | 17 | 41.2 | 3 | 7 | 42.9 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 17 | -15 | |
| 11:53 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | -10 | |
| 14:11 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4:06 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | |
| 7:49 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2 | |
| 4:15 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -3 | |
| 3:15 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -6 | |
| 4:15 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | |
| DNP – Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 34 | 85 | 40.0 | 16 | 41 | 39.0 | 16 | 21 | 76.2 | 12 | 33 | 45 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 18 | 100 | -23 | |
Luka Dončić responds to JJ Redick’s ‘killer’ challenge in delivering first signature win as a Laker
Hours before the Los Angeles Lakers crushed the Denver Nuggets, 123-100, in a big Western Conference showdown on Saturday night, Lakers head coach JJ Redick issued a challenge to Luka Dončić: “I want him to have a ‘blackout episode’ tonight where he screams at no one in particular. That’s the Luka I know. That’s the killer.”
Dončić delivered late in the second quarter when he let everyone in the vicinity know about the nasty step-back 3-pointer he had just made over Christian Braun. That may not have been one of his most memorable “blackout episodes,” but Dončić was certainly the “killer” on Saturday that Redick and everyone else has come to know over the years. In his best performance yet with the Lakers, Dončić went off for 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
“I’m finally feeling like myself a little bit,” Dončić said during his postgame interview. “Playing this game, this is what I love. Just finally being myself a little bit, so that’s why I was smiling the whole game.”
Less than two minutes in, Dončić found LeBron James for a dunk, the first of four different connections between the two stars, and never looked back. He had more points in the first half (19) than he totaled in his first three games in a Lakers uniform combined.
After the Nuggets opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to one, Dončić was ready with an answer. He either scored or assisted on nine points during a 15-2 run that reasserted the Lakers’ control over the game. They spent most of the remaining minutes up by double-figures before piling it on at the end.
The win, which ended the Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak, was perhaps the ideal version of this new Lakers team. They were able to keep at least one of James or Dončić on the floor at all times to run the show, and got great games from both of them. The outside shots were falling (16 of 41 from 3-point range) and their role players brought the defensive energy.
“I think we still got a lot of improvement,” Dončić said of learning to play with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. “This is my fourth game. So you know, chemistry takes time. We saw today that it’s getting better. So, every day it’s going to get better. “
Things won’t always work this well, but it’s clear the Lakers can play with anyone and should only get better in the coming weeks as Dončić gets back into basketball shape after missing nearly two months and acclimates to his new surroundings following the blockbuster trade that ended his time in Dallas.
“Hard. Different,” Dončić said when asked how the last few weeks have been for him. “But you know, I’m happy to be playing basketball. So like I say, every day is going to get better. To me, I’m happy to be here. Clearly, these guys are really incredible, so I’m happy for the new journey.”
With the win, the Lakers improved to 34-21, good for fourth place in the West standings after the Houston Rockets’ loss on Saturday night. They’ve pulled away from the Play-In Tournament pack and now have their sights set on maintaining home-court advantage in the first round. The third-place Nuggets’ advantage over the Lakers is down to two games.
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Dončić dominated as the Lakers blew out the Nuggets on Saturday
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Luka Dončić has officially arrived for the Los Angeles Lakers.
After a few slow games, Los Angeles got its first performance befitting all the hype that came with the former Dallas Mavericks star in a 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Dončić finished with 32 points on 10-of-22 shooting, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
“Finally felt like myself a little bit, so that’s why I was smiling the whole game,” Dončić told ESPN after the game.
He got 16 of those points in the first quarter, showing off the long-range, heat-check shots he was known for making in Dallas at an unnatural rate.
He also still had his playmaking acumen, finding LeBron James on a long outlet pass for an easy bucket.
It was a big night for the Lakers in general, as Dončić was one of four 20-point scorers alongside James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. On the defensive end, they did everything they could to limit opportunities for Nikola Jokić in the paint, and the result was only 12 points on 2-of-7 shooting for the three-time MVP, as well as 13 rebounds, 10 assists and six turnovers.
The Lakers never trailed in the game and led by as many as 26 points. Given how they have performed against the Nuggets in the past few years, that’s significant.
Entering Saturday, Dončić’s time with the Lakers hadn’t been an immediate success, though it’s also not like there should have been any significant concerns about this. He didn’t make his Lakers debut until a week after his trade from the Mavericks because he was still sidelined with a calf strain, and also missed the second leg of a back-to-back as part of the recovery process.
In the three games he did play, he averaged 14.7 points per game on .356 shooting (.208 from deep) plus 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 4.0 turnovers per game. Those numbers were all markedly worse than his Dallas days, but he was also a player coming off an injury, playing in an entirely new system as a typically ball-dominant player.
James and the Lakers weren’t worried, via the Associated Press:
“It’s his third game since Christmas, and it’s his third game with us,” James said. “He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built up since September. Obviously, we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form, so we’re working through it together.”
There was little reason not to expect Dončić to find his groove, and Saturday was the first step. He’s also still outperforming Anthony Davis, who hasn’t played since his Mavericks debut due to a adductor injury.
The win improved the Lakers’ record to 34-21, good for fifth place in the Western Conference and a half-game back from the fourth-place Houston Rockets. It was tough letting Davis go after winning a championship with him in 2020, but the trade has massively improved their title odds, from +4000 before the trade to +1400 entering Saturday.
If Dončić replicates his success Saturday on a regular basis, those odds will only go up.
