Luka Doncic just showed everyone why the Lakers traded for him, dropping 32 points in a dominant win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
The Slovenian superstar needed just one quarter to heat up, scoring 16 points in the opening frame at Ball Arena. It was his best scoring performance since joining the purple and gold four games ago.
“It’s very tough to play here against that team,” Doncic said after helping the Lakers secure their first win in Denver in almost three years with a 123-100 victory.
He didn’t just score either. Doncic filled up the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals in what was easily his most complete game as a Laker.
The chemistry between Doncic and LeBron James is already looking pretty special.
“He was super dialed in,” said LeBron, watching his new teammate catch fire. “Once he started hitting those step-back 3s and got to yelling and barking, either at the fans or at us, or himself.”
It’s been a slow start for the 25-year-old since coming over from Dallas. In his first three games wearing purple and gold, he averaged just 14.7 points while shooting 35.6% from the field. A nagging left calf injury that kept him out since Christmas didn’t help.
But Saturday night changed everything.
Coach JJ Redick sees big things ahead for his new star. “I think Luka needs to be the guy that controls the offense,” he said. “All three of those guys [Doncic, LeBron, and Anthony Davis] are very intelligent basketball players, and we can create mismatches. We can get teams in the blender.”
The partnership between Doncic and James looks like it’s going to be something special. As LeBron put it: “I’m a natural-born wide receiver and he’s a natural-born quarterback, so it fits perfectly.”
That’s exactly what Lakers fans were hoping to hear.
