Luka Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers to another impressive win, this time against the L.A. Clippers.
The Lakers beat the Clippers 135-118 to win West Group B and advance to the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, with Doncic recording a near-triple-double of 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. It was a brilliant offensive performance from Doncic, who scored 32 points in the first half before taking more of a playmaking role in the second half.
While Doncic added another strong win to his budding MVP case, the game still had its contentious moments. With the Lakers well ahead, Kris Dunn shoved Doncic, which the latter took exception to. Doncic confronted Dunn and had words for him before the Clippers guard shoved the basketball at the Lakers star.
Jaxson Hayes retaliated by shoving Dunn, which Doncic later said he appreciated and even offered to cover his teammate’s fine.
“Of course, I appreciate it,” Doncic said when asked if he’ll pay the fine. “I told him right away, thanks for having my back. That says a lot about him. That says a lot about this team. So, everybody got each other’s back.”
Luka went on to explain what happened on the play and why he took exception with Dunn.
“Well, I was waiting for the rebound. I got a cheap shot in my back. So, I’m not going to just stand. I ain’t afraid of nobody. I’m just going to stand and let it go,” Doncic added.
“The ref was right there. I don’t understand how we could have caught a foul on that one. But, you know, that’s what the game is about. Sometimes it’s going to get physical. There’s a lot of trash talking. I live for that, so I love it.”
Dunn was ejected from the game while Hayes was assessed just one technical foul, allowing the Lakers to build on their lead and never look back. Dunn was one of the few two-way bright spots on the Clippers, so his absence to close the fourth quarter was definitely felt.
Hayes and Doncic have developed a close relationship in the past calendar year, and it was good to see Hayes stick up for the Lakers star. Doncic had a real gripe with Dunn since the Clippers guard shoved him first, but the officials didn’t call a foul.
It was impressive that Luka did try to initiate some sort of altercation first given the situation, but regardless Hayes did the right thing defending his teammate. Hayes has shown he isn’t afraid to mix it up when needed, playing the enforcer role that every team needs.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway is how connected this Lakers group seems to already be. The players have openly talked about how tight-knit the locker room is, so Hayes defending Doncic seems to support that notion.
That level of chemistry and camaraderie is a key ingredient in winning teams, so it’ll be exciting to see how many more wins the Lakers can stack up.
Jaxson Hayes explains why he wants to play with Luka Doncic for Slovenia
Jaxson Hayes and Luka Doncic have gotten so close that the big man wants to team up for Slovenia. Hayes explained he wants to play for Team USA, but because they don’t do open tryouts he’ll do whatever it takes to play on the national stage.
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