In the early going, things did not look good for the Los Angeles Lakers. A travel hiccup meant they did not get into their hotel until 5 a.m. on Thursday, and they had to turn around and play the Miami Heat in the second game of a back-to-back–a Miami team that has been one of the best in the league since just before the All-Star break, going 10-4 in their last 14 heading into the Lakers showdown.
The Lakers were in quicksand in the first quarter, giving up 42 points, and trailing by 13.
But then the defense found its legs and tightened up. And then Luka Doncic got going, as has been his wont in recent weeks, as the Lakers entered the night with a seven-game winning streak. During that streak, Doncic averaged 38.1 points with 9.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He has shot 49.6% from the field and 40.4% from the 3-point line.
Chuck all of that, though. Doncic topped it all on Thursday, leading a massive comeback win for the Lakers’ eighth straight W, by a 134-126 score. And he did it by notching an incredible 60-point night, making 18 of his 30 shots and nine of his 17 3-pointers, adding seven rebounds and five steals. Along the way, he broke the Lakers’ single-season record for 3-pointers, held by D’Angelo Russell, which was 226 but is now 232.
Lakers Get ‘Superhero’ Performance From Luka Doncic
The Lakers got 19 points and 10 assists from LeBron James, who has been willingly taking a facilitator’s role lately, and Austin Reaves had 18 points. But, increasingly, this has been Luka Doncic’s team. And that showed in this one.
Coach JJ Redick called Doncic a “superhero.”
Said Redick postgame: “You know, it was a superhero performance. I thought him really getting us, keeping us afloat early was really important. And then all the groups that played there in the second quarter did a really nice job. The group that started the second half obviously did a great job, got us the lead. But he just, he made big shots, he made tough shots.
“He made a lot of right reads. When he gets it going like that, it’s some of it is—you just kind of like, let him go. His teammates felt that, they saw that.”
‘Shot-Making Was Unreal’
Redick did give some credit for Doncic’s performance, and the Lakers win on the whole, to the other Lakers. One Doncic 3-pointer especially drew his notice–from the left wing with 1:59 to play and the Heat having pulled within four points, at 121-117. Doncic had help from Deandre Ayton and James.
“We looked for some advantages in some places,” Redick said. “The horns clear that we ran for the off-ball 3, was just a big-time screen from Deandre Ayton, a big-time pass from LeBron and a big-time shot from Luka. I thought that was one of the bigger buckets he had. But then he had the crazy step-back 3 in front of their bench (with 1:01 to play). You can just go down the list. The shot-making was unreal tonight.”
Their eighth straight win moves the Lakers to 45-25 on the season, holding a 2.0-game lead over Minnesota for the No. 3 seed in the West. There are three games remaining on their road trip: Saturday in Orlando, Monday in Detroit and Wednesday in Indiana.
Luka Doncic Breaks Lakers Record in 60-Point Outing As Win Streak Rolls