Luka Doncic is quite the fearless character, not much fazes the Slovenian even though he has just turned 23. Doncic has been playing against professionals since the age of 16 and he has often been the best player on the court despite also being one of the youngest. This hasn’t changed since he arrived in the NBA, Luka will still take on anyone fearlessly, even the biggest names in the game.
So it was no surprise that on Tuesday night when the Dallas Mavericks took on the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic wanted to go head-to-head with none other than LeBron James. Now, the King may have had a frustrating moment or two on the night, but he had also been instrumental in bringing the Lakers back into the game.
So when Luka went at him in the 4th, it was a statement to assert his quality and self-belief, and Doncic delivered when it mattered. With just over 4 and a half minutes left, Doncic engineered a 1-on-1 situation against James and hit on a tough shot going to his left. This extended the Mavericks lead to 3 in the clutch.
And he wasn’t done yet, not by a long shot. With the score at 105 to 102, Luka had the ball at the top of the key and hunted LeBron down one more time. On this occasion, he went past the King and hit on what looked like an effortless floater.
There’s not much shame in giving up points to Doncic, he is already a 2-time All-NBA First Team player at the age of 23, but the ease with which he beat LeBron in the clutch has to be galling for the king. Especially considering that there are some players in the league like Rudy Gobert that have recently succeeded in stopping Luka.
Luka Doncic iso’ing Rudy Gobert in 3 straight possessions: 0 buckets
Luka Doncic iso’ing LeBron James in 3 straight possessions: 3 buckets pic.twitter.com/WCwSMYQkPm
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 2, 2022
As far as Luka is concerned though, he’s been on a hot streak since 2022 came around and he’ll be hoping to continue that momentum and turn it into his first-ever playoff series win. The additions of Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans are looking quite good in recent games and it would do a lot for Luka’s legacy if he’s able to lead the Mavs deep into the playoffs this season.
