There was a war drum beating in Los Angeles ahead of the game against the Kings. Recent defeats, the absence of Austin Reaves, the words of Luka Doncic and LeBron James, the impatience of the Los Angeles fans… all ingredients for an explosive cocktail. But Doncic and LeBron have calmed the storm for now.
There are still nerves in the Lakers camp, there rarely aren’t, but for the moment the situation has calmed down. That is, until the next game. And much has to do with the two stars of the team who came out against the Kings determined to put out the fire momentarily.
Luka Doncic excelled with 34 points, again with problems in three-point shooting (5/14) but also contributing five rebounds and seven assists. It was not his best game, but L.A. did not need it either. After the 45 against the Jazz, Luka had gone two games (two losses) without reaching 30 points or more. The spa that was the Kings did him good.
Also LeBron James, who scored 24 points. Between the two stars, they scored 58 of the team’s 125 points. LeBron was terrific, with 11 of 13 shooting from the field (1/2 from three-point range) and some dunks that seem impossible for a human being at 40 years old (he turns 41 on Tuesday)
In addition to Doncic and LeBron, Nick Smith Jr. shone off the bench, scoring 21 points with 5/10 three-pointers.
The Lakers went on to win by as many as 30 points against a Kings team with very little firepower that barely put up any resistance. Only DeMar DeRozan, with 22 points, and Maxime Raynaud, with 16, were up to the task. In the game, by the way, the 13 points scored by Russell Westbrook were enough to overtake Dominique Wilkins on the list of the best scorers in history. ‘Russ’ is now 16th.
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