The Los Angeles Lakers have been playing their best basketball of the season in the month of March, and they looked to end it on a high note on Tuesday night when they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second night of a back-to-back.
Luka Doncic missed the team’s previous game due to a one-game suspension after picking up his 16th technical. He returned to action in this one and continued his historic month, leading the Lakers to an easy 127-113 win over the Cavaliers. L.A. went 15-2 in the month overall and has now won four straight and 13 of their last 14.
Earlier in the day, the Lakers clinched a playoff berth and the Pacific division for the second straight year when the Phoenix Suns lost to the Orlando Magic. They still took care of their own business though, rebounding from a sluggish first quarter with two dominant middle frames to come away with the victory. It marked the 50th win of the season and 100th in two seasons for JJ Redick at the helm.
Doncic picked up right where he left off before the suspension, leading all scorers with 42 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, two steals and zero turnovers on 13-of-26 shooting. He capped off the night with a dunk, joining the great Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score 600 points in the month of March. The 27-year-old also reached the 15,000 career point milestone, becoming the third youngest player to do so behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Doncic wasn’t the only one to reach a significant milestone in this one as James and Rui Hachimura both did as well.
James finished with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists in the victory, but more importantly, it was the 1,229th win of his career combining the regular and postseason, breaking a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in league history.
Hachimura also had a quality night with 14 points off the bench on 6-of-8 shooting, reaching the 5,000-point milestone for his career.
Outside of Doncic erupting, it was a balanced scoring effort for the Lakers in the victory as Austin Reaves also contributed 19 points while Deandre Ayton had 18 and Jake LaRavia had 14.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will now head out on a quick two-game road trip, starting with a tough test against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night and then finishing with the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
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