It is official. The Luka Doncic period in Los Angeles has begun
4 days after the largest NBA blockbuster commerce in historical past, Luka Doncic lastly made his extremely anticipated debut with the Los Angeles Lakers. In entrance of a packed crowd, No. 77 did not disappoint.
February 10 was a major day for the Lakers franchise. As soon as once more, Luka has set out on a journey to observe within the footsteps of legends like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and extra. It’s a historic second in sports activities that might be remembered ceaselessly.
Now he will get to play alongside top-of-the-line of all time, LeBron James.
“It is particular”, mentioned Doncic in a post-game presser. “He [LeBron James] sees the sport otherwise than lots of people. His IQ is insane, and to have two guys like that on the court docket, I feel it’s going to assist the entire crew out.”
Luka Doncic’s Laker debut was extremely awaited
Luka is dressed to impress
He's anticipated to debut for the Lakers TONIGHT at 10:30pm/et on ESPN
pic.twitter.com/IC0wkTpc9a
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2025
Rolling as much as Crypto.com Space, Doncic actually dressed to impress. Donning a black go well with with white kicks, cameras noticed Doncic stroll down the hallway. At this second, all of America lastly realized Luke Doncic was an official member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Whereas it nonetheless does not really feel actual, the basketball world has been awaiting this second across the clock for days.
Inserted into the beginning lineup alongside LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Jaxson Hayes, Doncic was the final participant to be launched. With that, No. 77 Doncic t-shirts have been seen protecting each seat within the enviornment. Incomes his first victory as a member of the Lakers, Los Angeles went on to defeat the Utah Jazz 132-113.
Though Doncic was positioned on a minutes restriction by head coach JJ Reddick, half-hour is respectable, particularly for a participant who hasn’t appeared in a sport since Christmas. Whereas Doncic did not attain the 30 mark, No. 77 completed his Lakers debut with 14 factors, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was not his finest taking pictures night time. Luka shot 5-14 from the ground, together with 1-7 from downtown.
Doncic drains a 3 for his first factors as a Laker
Luka Dončić's first sport as a Laker is within the books!
14 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | sixth straight Lakers W
Simply getting began on his new period in Los Angeles
pic.twitter.com/hsW0Nxao4F
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2025
Early on, we noticed some attainable jitters from Doncic, with LeBron directing site visitors on the defensive facet. In truth, inside the first couple of minutes, Doncic was seen hustling for the rebounds and closely contesting three-point photographs. Whereas Doncic noticed some respectable appears to be like, the lengthy photographs merely weren’t falling.
“I used to be a little bit nervous earlier than. When was the final time I used to be nervous earlier than a sport? mentioned Doncic post-game “(Bleacher Report). “As soon as I stepped on the court docket, it was enjoyable. Being on the market felt superb.”
Excessive feelings and nervousness have been anticipated, on condition that Doncic spent the primary 6.5 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. Tagged as their franchise star, Doncic led Dallas to the 2023-2024 NBA Finals. Whereas it is unclear the motivation for the historic commerce, he is formally a member of the Lakers.
And, after all, with the basketball world wanting on, Doncic drilled his first bucket as a Laker mid-way by way of the primary quarter. In true Luka style, No. 77 notched a step-back three-pointer over Walker Kessler resulting from a mismatch. With a number of lob makes an attempt to teammates, Doncic earned 5 fast factors on 2-3 subject purpose taking pictures by way of seven first-quarter minutes.
The 2-man sport between Doncic and LeBron might be scary
LUKA
LEBRON
Full-court outlet for the simple FLUSH
UTA-LAL on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/uW9O4Xbt5C
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2025
Though Doncic began off enjoying extra off-ball, the wonder is that the Lakers have a number of on-ball playmakers, particularly with Doncic and LeBron James. LeBron and Austin Reaves stretched the result in 45-29 early within the second quarter, and so they took care of the heavy lifting. In truth, Doncic did not test into the second quarter till the 7:44 mark.
Attention-grabbing because it sounds, when Doncic checked into the sport, LeBron subbed out usually. From operating the ground a bit extra, Doncic had such a singular capability to facilitate to the weak facet of the ball. Each time Doncic shot the ball, the loud “oohs and ahhs” may very well be heard by the gang.
With Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki in the home, Doncic did not miss a beat. Totally on-ball with LeBron on the bench, Doncic did what he does finest. The automated fade mid-range is his signature shot except for the step-back three.
Clearly, his presence alone opened up alternatives for the Lakers and may proceed to take action. Drawing important consideration opens up the ground much more for Los Angeles.
Closing out halftime with each LeBron and Doncic on the ground, the Lakers commanded a 72-47 lead. With that, we noticed a glimpse of what the longer term holds between Doncic and James. Grabbing a rebound, Doncic handed a rebound outlet touchdown-type cross to LeBron on the finish of the court docket.
Luka Doncic performed 24 minutes in a blowout over the Jazz
Laker debuts
AD: 25 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST (38% FG)
Baylor: 25 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST (48% FG)
Ceballos: 22 PTS, 14 REB (39% FG)
Dwight: 19 PTS, 10 REB (67% FG)
Pau Gasol: 24 PTS, 12 REB (67% FG)
Glove: 21 PTS, 9 AST, 7 REB (50% FG)
Kareem: 27 PTS, 20 REB (50% FG)
LeBron: 26 PTS, 12 REB,… https://t.co/YAwweyH3ly pic.twitter.com/Cs59zVh4ha— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 11, 2025
With James and Doncic combining for twenty-four first-half factors, Luka notched a good 11 factors, three rebounds, and three assists on the half. +16 on the ground, his rustiness was fairly noticeable. Capturing simply 1-5 from three, Doncic closed out the primary half 4-9 from the sphere. James completed with 24 factors, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
And let’s speak concerning the flow–by the second quarter, it was onerous to inform this was Luka’s debut. With fluid ball motion and pushing the tempo in transition, Doncic was fast to nab LeBron on the short outlet passes. For 2 ball-dominant gamers, it was fairly the unselfish outing between the 2.
With the Lakers up 93-69, Doncic’s night time ended with 2:33 left within the third quarter. Enjoying 9 minutes within the third quarter alone, there wasn’t motive to danger damage with additional play. Whereas the third quarter was a tad shaky, Laker followers are in for an actual deal with. With Doncic anticipated to shake off the rust with time, the Lakers have some severe potential to make a deep playoff run.
Now that Luka’s long-awaited debut is behind him, there ought to be elevated minutes as he regains his well being down the stretch. That is the primary of many video games on Doncic carrying the purple and gold. As we noticed final night time, the Lakers have the potential to be a scary crew, particularly with the mix of LeBron, Doncic, and Reaves.
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Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter, Content material Creator, and Supervisor for Ballislife Bets. She focuses on ladies’s basketball and the NBA. Sara Jane resides within the Connecticut/NYC space together with her Cat and Canine. SJ has an undergraduate diploma in economics from the College of Connecticut.
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