After a shaky start with the Lakers, Luka Doncic had a standout performance in the win against the Denver Nuggets. He scored 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out seven assists, showing the skills that make him a top player in the NBA.
LeBron James noticed Doncic’s energy on the court. “He was super dialed in,” James said. “Once he started hitting those step-back threes and got to yelling, he was just focused on executing his game plan.”
Coach J.J. Redick wanted to see more of Doncic’s fiery side. He joked about wanting to see Doncic have a “blackout episode” where he passionately expresses himself. On Saturday, Doncic took charge of the game, often going head-to-head with Nuggets players like Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic during pick-and-roll plays. Moving forward, Redick plans to let Doncic control the offense more.
“Luka needs to be the guy that controls the offense,” Redick said. “With LeBron and (Austin Reaves), we can create mismatches and keep the pressure on our opponents.”
In other Lakers news:
- Jordan Goodwin has been a solid addition since signing a two-way contract. There are whispers about converting his deal to a standard one to make him playoff-eligible this season. However, the Lakers may need to let go of a player, possibly Cam Reddish, to make this happen.
- The Clippers added Kawhi Leonard to their injury report due to left foot soreness, which is his first injury of the season. Both he and Norman Powell are listed as questionable for today’s game against Indiana.
- Ben Simmons is expected to play but will sit out a game on Monday against Detroit. He has quickly built chemistry with new teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic shared how easy it is to connect on the court despite being new to the team, saying, “We are basketball players at the end of the day, so we just play.”
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