The Lakers and Timberwolves collide as Luka Dončić eyes history and LeBron James leads L.A.'s defensive resurgence.
The NBA landscape shifted dramatically when the Dallas Mavericks shocked everyone by trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The move, involving a 25-year-old superstar with no prior warning, sent ripples through the league.
Luka Dončić has been “horrible” as a Los Angeles Laker. That’s the word he chose during a postgame interview late Thursday night, when the whistle-heavy win against Minnesota (111-102) came to a merciful end.
Although Luka Dončić speaks four languages, he struggled for the words to express just how strange it was to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
The pair spent just two years as teammates but it's clear a strong bond that goes "deeper than basketball" remains.
LUKA DONČIĆ AND THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS You cannot convince me that Luka Dončić didn't want this one, and not just the W. In front of the man who shipped him out of Dallas earlier this month, the Los Angeles Lakers' heir apparent picked up his first triple-double as a member of the purple-and-gold last night -- and in the first meeting against his old club no less.
Luka Dončić's first game against his former team featured his first triple double as a Laker. Dončić had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, while LeBron James scored 27 points as LA held off Dallas in the fourth quarter.
It certainly wasn't the cleanest of nights for Luka Dončić as he faced his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, for the first time on Tuesday since he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the biggest -- and most controversial -- transactions in NBA history.
Dončić recorded his first triple-double with the Lakers, finishing with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals
In an emotional reunion against his former franchise, teammates and coaches, Dončić finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.
The unfortunate fact for any team playing the Los Angeles Lakers for the rest of the season is that even if Luka Dončić is shooting 30%, you still have a whole LeBron James, and others, to worry about.