Life in Los Angeles could not have started better for Luka Doncic.
The 25-year-old joined a exclusive club after his stellar performance against the New Orleans Pelicans in the Lakers’ 136-115 win on Tuesday night.
The win extends the Lakers’ winning streak to seven a run that represents the franchise’s longest for four years.
With 30 points and a Lakers career-high 15 assists, Doncic became just the fourth player in franchise history to post those totals in a single game.
The other three? James, Magic Johnson, and Jerry West.
Not bad company for LA’s newest superstar as the broadcasters continue to revel in the arrival of ‘The Don.’
Doncic’s best moment of the game came when he enjoyed a run of three straight 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The Slovakian was also just two points away from tying his Lakers career high but having played just 34 minutes, his stat sheet for the night was satisfying enough.
Head coach JJ Redick was full of praise for his new superstar after the game and how he continues to help the team to dominate.
“Our guys are starting to get into a groove and a rhythm even with the non-cadence that he plays, we felt like we were going to launch tonight and we did,” Redick told reporters after the game.
The game also created history for LeBron James as he became the first player to reach 50,000 points in regular-season and playoff games combined after finishing the night with 34 points.
“I’ve had the opportunity to play the game that I love, and I’ve always been true to it, so I’m going to always try to give back,” James said after the game.
“It’s amazing,” Doncic said of James. “Watching him do this stuff at this age, it’s just unbelievable. Like, 50K points, I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K, you never know.”
Other Lakers stars also stepped up to help grab the win with Jaxson Hayes scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds while rookie Dalton Knecht added 13 points.
Zion Williamson recorded 37 points for the Pelicans but it wasn’t enough for a team that had won five of their last seven games.
The game was eventually secured for LA when they went on a 14-2 run in the third quarter and later took a 102-84 advantage into the first quarter.
Bronny James played the final 4:01 and scored two points that caused the arena to erupt in what is becoming a normal reaction for the rookie.
The Lakers now sit second in the Western Conference at 39-21 and riding an incredible train of momentum with 17 wins in their last 20 games but the games only get tougher from here.
The franchise is about to enter a difficult stretch as they play New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets in their next five games
