LeBron James has been the NBA's 'king' for nearly two decades, but as Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks thrashed the struggling Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, perhaps it's time for James to crown the youngster he most loved. praises.
The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers got into a one-on-one matchup Tuesday night on two different trajectories and felt polar-opposite sentiments. The Mavs were coming off a resounding 107-101 win over the Golden State Warriors, where they were trailing on 19 points with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth. The Lakers, on the other hand, were knocked out of their own home court after an embarrassing 123–95 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Not surprisingly, the fortunes of both teams remained the same when the Mavs knocked down the Lakers in the Crypto.com Arena, 109–104, although it was not as one-sided as many thought it was the bad Mavs. due in the third quarter. ,
Just a day after turning 23, Luka Doncic led the Mavs and finished with 25 points, 8 rebounds and five assists. Although the way the Mavs ended the game is what Doncic cares about most, his monster back-dunk on Dwight Howard in the first quarter should at least finish second.
Luka climbs the ladder for the put-back SLAM!
— NBA (@NBA) March 2, 2022
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Dallas took a 21-point lead before imploding in the third quarter by out-scoring 31-14. The Mavs had more turnovers (seven) than field goals (six) in the frame. Doncic's heroics kept the Lakers at bay, however, as he fired big shot after big shot in the fourth quarter, most of it against LeBron James.
Doncic got a lot of extra help against the Lakers, as four other players scored in double digits. Jalen Brunson came out of her shooting slump shooting 9-of-15 from the ground and 22 at 4-of-6 from the deep. Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dwight Powell scored 16, 14 and 13 respectively.
James, who finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, has been the 'King' of the NBA for nearly two decades now. While LeBron may not be ready to crown another player just yet, Doncic is ready to take it anyway, as he 'hunted' James on defense in the fourth and was successful when the game was on the line. Happened. Doncic's successor seems like the most natural move given the two players' admiration for each other.
"The way (Luca) plays the game reminds me of the way he plays the game," James said during the All-Star break. "We're triple threat. We rebound, we pass, which is the number one thing on our mind. ... And we'll put 40 on you too if you disrespect us."
It has been well documented how Doncic grew up idolizing James and modeled some of his play after him. Tonight's game will surely be one he will remember for a long time to come. The Mavs are now 37-25 and have 12 games over .500 for the first time this season.
Next, the Mavs will return home to the American Airlines Center for the first time since February 12, when they will take on the Golden State Warriors for the second time in three games. With another win, Dallas would go on to win the season series versus Golden State 3–1.