Traveling to Denver to face the surging Nuggets on Saturday, few expected Luka Doncic to guide the Los Angeles Lakers to victory against a team that entered the game having won nine in a row — and especially after Doncic struggled mightily in a surprise loss to the Charlotte Hornets immediately after the All-Star break.
But with the lights at their brightest, in a primetime game, Doncic delivered his first standout performance in the Lakers‘ legendary purple and gold. The Slovenian star dropped 32 points, hauled in 10 rebounds, and recorded seven assists as the Lakers romped to a 123-100 victory — a result that seriously impressed LeBron James, LA‘s incumbent megastar.
James prepared to turn over the keys to Doncic
Now 40 years old, James has been teasing retirement for the better part of three seasons — and with Doncic stepping up the way he did in Denver, The King can see his successor even more clearly.
“I’m a natural-born wide receiver and (Doncic) is a natural-born quarterback, so it fits perfectly,” James said of his burgeoning partnership with the All-NBA guard.
James explained to reporters on Saturday that he spent his two-decade career “running the floor and running lanes”, implying strongly that he is prepared to turn over primary ball-handling duties to Doncic — a role in which the 25-year-old has thrived since he entered the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks in 2018.
James is widely expected to end his historic career within the next year, which would make Doncic the unquestioned leader of the Lakers. But Luka took a big step toward earning that distinction on Saturday, when he dismantled Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets for his first “great night” with his new team.
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