The Luka Doncic and LeBron James era could not have started better.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick heaped praise on his new player after a 108-102 win over the LA Clippers on Sunday night despite James being left agonizingly short of NBA history.
Doncic had 29 points and nine assists while James added 17 points as the Lakers edged the Clippers in a tight win for the second time in three days.
Rookie Dalton Knecht stepped up and scored 19 points as the Lakers made it six wins in a row, 16 wins in their last 19 games and rose to second seed in the Western Conference.
Only the Cleveland Cavaliers are in better form that Doncic, James and co who are serving notice that a 18th championship might not be beyond them.
Without starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, due to injury, it was critical the likes of Doncic performed and that he did.
The night became easier for the Slovakian once the Clippers began to play a drop coverage in order to defend against him, something Redick explained after the game was a mistake.
“The nature of playing with Luka Doncic is if you play drop coverage against him, you’re going to die,” he said.
Doncic himself admitted that he enjoyed played against the Clippers approach.
“I remember last game there was only one coverage with me. But like I always say, it’s like playing chess a little bit. You gotta read the defense and take what the defense gives you,” Doncic said after the game.
“That’s what I like. For me, that’s fun. That’s how I get going. Especially on the basketball court.”
Asides from Doncic delivering another stellar performance, the game also served as a opportunity for James to reach a historic NBA landmark.
Already the all-time leader in total points scored – regular season and playoffs combined – with 49,982, the 40-year-old entered the game needing just 18 points to reach a remarkable 50,000 career points total.
In the end ‘The King’ fell just short, recording 17 points on Sunday night, meaning he is stuck on 49,999 points and just one point away from the landmark.
James will now likely pass the mark on Tuesday night when the Lakers host the New Orleans Pelicans and does so while playing some of his best basketball in recent years.
The four-time NBA champion averaged 29.3 points on 55.5% shooting and 44.3% from 3-point range over 11 games in the month of February.
This was his highest scoring average in a calendar month since January 2022, when he had 33.8 ppg.
Last month, James also became the first player in NBA history to have multiple 40+ point games at age 40 or higher.
Michael Jordan is the only other 40-year-old with a 40+ point game with a record 43-point performance on Feb. 21, 2003.
The Lakers follow their Tuesday night game with the Pelicans with a tough looking stretch that features four teams with winning records.
On Thursday night they face a showdown with the New York Knicks (43-18) at Crypto.com Arena – before embarking on a road trip that features four title contenders.
The red-hot Lakers will face the Boston Celtics in a Saturday night blockbuster, before games against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.
