The Los Angeles Lakers have been the center of the NBA the past few days after they pulled off a surprising blockbuster trade to bring Luka Doncic over from the Dallas Mavericks.
While the Lakers had to give up Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick, it’s the kind of move that any team has to make given Doncic’s talent, age and ceiling as a superstar. While Doncic is still recovering from a calf injury he suffered in December, the Lakers took a trip down to Inglewood to play the L.A. Clippers at the Intuit Dome to close out their annual Grammy road trip.
The Lakers have historically struggled in their regular season matchups against the Clippers, but this game was completely different as the former came out of the gates hot and never let up. The Lakers wound up blowing out the Clippers 122-97, a sign that they could be just a couple of moves away from being real contenders with Doncic in tow. They went 5-1 on the road trip overall and are 10 games over .500 for the first time at 29-19.
With Doncic watching the game from the bench, LeBron James took it upon himself to put on a show for his new star teammate. James was everywhere on both ends of the floor, forcing his way into the paint on numerous occasions to finish at the rim and then rotating defensively.
LeBron had a visible pep in his step and when the King has it going it can spell trouble for the opponent. James finished the night as the game’s leading scorer with 26 points while nearly missing out on a triple-double as he had nine assists and eight rebounds in just 31 minutes.
With most of the Clipper defense focused on trying to slow down James, Austin Reaves found himself in several favorable matchups that he took advantage of. Reaves has truly come into his own as the Lakers’ lead ball handler and he showed much more poises running the offense and finding his own shots.
Reaves was brilliant as both a passer and scorer, recording 20 points and nine assists. He also had six rebounds and a block.
Rui Hachimura was an early source of offense as he also found himself in advantageous spots on the floor to score. The Clippers were content with Hachimura looking for his own shots and he made them pay by pouring in 20 of his own points.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers are expected to be active during the NBA trade deadline, but will see the Golden State Warriors after it passes on Thursday night back home at Crypto.com Arena.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
