Luka and LeBron go 30-30 as the Lakers defeat the Pelicans
Luka Dončić celebrates a three-point basket with LeBron James in the second half on Tuesday. (Matthew Hinton/Associated Press)
LeBron James and Luka Doncic wowed fans inside the Smoothie King Center with their performances Tuesday night.
Both led a suffocating Lakers defense in the fourth quarter and an efficient offense.
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James had a triple-double of 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Doncic had 30 points and 10 assists, leading the Lakers to a 111-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
“I love what’s going on right now with Luka and LeBron and that partnership, whether it’s pick-and-rolls between them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
As he talked about James and Doncic and how dynamic those two were, Redick smiled at his two stars.
“There’s a real synergy going on right now and it’s fun to watch,” Redick said.
It was the second time in the last three games that James and Doncic scored at least 30 points in a game. James had 31 against Memphis on Friday night and Doncic had 34.
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Now, here James and Doncic were combining for 60 points on 21-of-41 shooting.
“It will definitely start with me and Luka, every time we hit the floor,” James said. “He’s got the ball in his hands. I’m going to have the ball in my hands. We’ve got to make sure we get our guys in positions offensively and then defensively. It’s always been my voice making sure I lead with my voice and that everyone knows what’s happening on the field.”
As James spoke, he dismissed the theory that Doncic had to bend his game to that of James or that of any of his teammates.
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James simply noted that the Lakers (23-11) are Doncic’s team and the rest will follow his lead, including James.
“Luka doesn’t need to bend his game. Luka is our franchise (26-year-old) for this club,” James said. “He doesn’t need to change the game. It’s up to us to adapt our game around him and figure it out. We just try to be dynamic to work on him. We know he’s an incredible pick-and-roll player, an incredible shooter. He commands the defense. He had four eyes, sometimes six eyes on him. So it’s up to us… it’s up to us to put ourselves in the right position. So, it’s not a problem for me, it’s not a problem to be able to do things that… I don’t know… I just don’t think the people watch basketball.”
So when Doncic threw a two-handed lob from beyond the three-point line to James on the baseline in the second quarter, it was another example of how Doncic controls the game and how James fits in.
The Lakers opened the fourth quarter with intensity on defense.
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They turned a deficit late in the third into a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, opening the quarter on an 18-4 run to take a 97-90 lead.
However, the Lakers had to play hard until the end to close out the victory.
When Doncic lost control of the ball late, it looked like it would be a shot clock violation because he stumbled.
Instead, he got the ball back with James and two Pelican defenders all in close proximity and hit a floating 3-pointer for the Lakers’ 105-96 lead with one minute, 59 seconds left.
Doncic looked at the Pelicans bench after the ball landed in the net and roared.
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The Pelicans called a time out, leading James to pat Doncic on the back, put his head in Doncic’s chest and then slap Doncic on the head, the two smiling at the magical moment.
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“I told him (James), he set a big screen. If you don’t set that screen, I probably wasn’t as open,” Doncic said, joking and smiling. “But it was a good moment. He started the fourth quarter with two 3-pointers and then an assist. So he put us back in the game. We appreciate it.”
The defense played by the Lakers in the quarter was extraordinary.
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They held the Pelicans to 17 points and 33.3% shooting. The Lakers took three charges in the quarter, a career first from Dalton Knecht and one from Doncic.
Now the Lakers turn their attention to their back-to-back game Wednesday night in San Antonio, and the question posed to James was about his play.
The 41-year-old James said it was “TBD,” to be determined.
“You guys know,” James said. “I’m 41, obviously, it’s always… Every sequence for the rest of the season is TBD. I’m 41. I’ve logged the most minutes in NBA history. Accumulate it now. What are we talking about? What are we talking about?”
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Doncic scored 16 points and six assists in the first half while James had 15 points and six rebounds.
But starting forward Jake LaRavia didn’t score in his 18 minutes of play in the first half.
The Lakers then fell behind by nine points in the third quarter, meaning they had to play catch-up the rest of the way.
The Lakers play back-to-back games Wednesday night in San Antonio, leading Redick to ask whether the 41-year-old James would play against the Spurs.
“We don’t have any plans for any of our players,” Redick said. “We’ll see what happens tonight.”
Etc.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is on the road for two games, but was downgraded for the game against the Pelicans due to a lower back strain. Vincent has missed the last nine games, but there is hope he will be available Wednesday against San Antonio. “We just demoted Gabe,” Redick said. “He hasn’t had a setback, but hopefully he can play tomorrow. But again, it all depends on how he feels tomorrow.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.