The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a one-sided 132-113 win over the Utah Jazz tonight as Luka Doncic made his official debut for the franchise. All the stars came out to watch the Lakers begin the Doncic era, as the 25-year-old Slovenian guard was on a minutes restriction coming off a calf injury.
Luka put up 14 points (5-14 FG), five rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes of action. He’s coming off the longest injury absence of his career but his impact on the team was felt instantly as he showed off his incredible playmaking with audacious passes.
This win was sealed through a team effort led by LeBron James‘ 24 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Austin Reaves put up 22 points and nine rebounds while Rui Hachimura had 21 points and six rebounds. Another debutant Jordan Goodwin scored 17 points (8-11 FG) and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench.
Fans were ecstatic to see the Lakers’ strong run of form continue with Doncic debuting.
“Having *Luka f***ing Doncic* to stagger in the minutes when LeBron needs to rest is an absolute cheat code,” said one fan about the big advantage given to LeBron.
“Austin Reaves is the leading scorer at halftime while sharing the floor with Luka & LeBron… & it doesn’t even feel like it. You ain’t even getting killed by the real killers yet,” said a fan who’s excited about the future of the Lakers offense.
“Luka and LeBron playmaking feeding the other 3 dudes on the court as well as themselves is something we have literally never seen before bro. I’m trying to think of a duo that fed the family nearly as well,” said one fan who was amazed at the degree of playmaking both LeBron and Luka bring to the court.
“Luka can sit, Bron and Reaves can cook. Bron can sit, Luka and Reaves can cook. Reaves can sit, Luka and Bron can cook. Bron and Luka can sit, Reaves can cook with Gabe Vincent apparently,” said one fan thrilled about the guard versatility the Lakers have with Doncic.
“Luka Doncic just changed Jaxon Hayes’ broke-ass life,” said one fan recognizing Doncic’s instant impact on an athletic lob-catching center like Jaxson Hayes.
“Luka’s passing is genuinely spectacular,” said another fan.
The Jazz essentially rolled over tonight, with their highest scorers being Lauri Markkanen (8-18 FG) and John Collins (5-10 FG), both scoring 17 points apiece. Jordan Clarkson added 16 points (6-15 FG). Walker Kessler had a double-double with 13 points (5-7 FG) and 12 rebounds while Isiah Collier had a double-double with 13 points (6-12 FG) and 10 assists.
This night was all about Doncic, although he did look rusty on the court after coming back from a nearly two-month absence. He was put on a minutes restriction before the game so we’ll likely see Doncic play his way into the rhythm of the Lakers offense over the next few games before unlocking the level of individual greatness we’ve seen him deliver countless times.
LeBron and Reaves have clearly upped their games since the news of Doncic’s arrival, so the Lakers have a genuine big three who can break down almost every defense in the NBA. If their defense can hold up, the Lakers might be contenders this season.
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