The Los Angeles Lakers had every excuse to drop their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. They were in the final night of a long five-game road trip and also in the second of a back-to-back after beating the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Additionally, the Lakers were severely shorthanded with LeBron James, Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura all out of the lineup.
Things played out differently than expected though as the Lakers were the more energized team from the jump. They got out to an early lead and never looked back, beating the Bucks 119-95 to improve to 10-4 on the season and complete a 3-2 road trip.
It was the Lakers’ most impressive win of the season and afterwards, Luka Doncic shared praise for his team, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s pretty incredible, honestly. I think it’s pretty incredible. We played a back-to-back, I think me and AR played 40 minutes yesterday, we had a long flight, came in and played again. Everybody is tired, so just to come out and be up 30 at halftime, it’s incredible. It says a lot about the group.”
As usual, Doncic played a key role in the victory as he scored a game-high 41 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal. The superstar also got to the free throw line 20 times and made 18 of them, controlling the pace of the game.
In 10 games played this season, Doncic has scored 40 or more four times, getting off to an MVP-caliber start for the Lakers. That has been much-needed with James and other key players out of the lineup as no one could have predicted that the Lakers would be 10-4 at this point.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, but with Doncic leading the way this Lakers team finds themselves right in the thick of a tough Western Conference playoff race.
Luka Doncic: Lakers can’t wait for LeBron James to return
All of the reports coming out of LeBron James’ recent workouts have been positive as he nears his season debut. Whenever James takes the court for the Lakers, he will be the first player in NBA history to play in 23 season and Luka Doncic is among those excited for his return.
“We can’t wait. All of us can’t wait. It’s Bron, so it’s always good to have him back. Hopefully soon,” Doncic said.
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