The Luka Dončić trade to the Los Angeles Lakers still feels surreal at times. Dončić has been a member of the Lakers’ roster for over a month now, and each time he steps onto the court, a record seems to be broken.
Dončić did exactly that when he lined up against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, March 17, as he led the Lakers to a 125-109 victory.
Luka Dončić Joins Kobe Bryant On Historic Lakers List
Dončić nearly posted a triple-double, recording 21 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists while shooting 5-for-20 from the field and 1-for-7 from three-point range. It was the 10th consecutive time Dončić scored 20+ points in a game for the Lakers, becoming the first since Kobe Bryant in 2013 to achieve the feat.
Luka Doncic has the most consecutive 20-point games by a Lakers guard since Kobe in 2013. pic.twitter.com/sAXpEkISx2
— StatMamba (@StatMamba)
Dončić has been at his relentless best in the last five games for the Lakers as LeBron James remains sidelined with an injury. He is averaging 31.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 8.0 assists over the last five games, including a 45-point showing against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Slovenian arrived in Los Angeles last month in a blockbuster deal and has since played 14 games in the Gold and Purple colors. After struggling through the first few games, he found his rhythm by the time of a revenge game against the Dallas Mavericks and is averaging 26.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists for his new side.
Understandably, he is feeling amazing about his transition to the new team.
“It’s amazing,” Doncic said post-game. “Everyone in the locker room is amazing. There’s a lot of joking around. I feel amazing, everyone accepted me amazingly. So it’s great.”
Luka was asked how he feels with the Lakers now.
"It's amazing. Everyone in the locker room is amazing. There's a lot of joking around. I feel amazing, everyone accepted me amazingly. So it's great." pic.twitter.com/Cc2Gx03Var
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates)
Lakers Getting All-Round Production
Dončić’s 14 assists were feasted over Austin Reaves as he put up 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 57/39/100 shooting from the field, earning him high praise from his new teammate.
“I mean, this guy just scored 30 in his fourth game in five days,” Doncic said. “He’s an amazing player. For him to go undrafted is unbelievable. It’s not easy to go undrafted and play at this level and it’s amazing just to be by his side.”
Jordan Goodwin and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 15 points each in the Lakers’ second consecutive victory. They were on a four-game losing streak after losing James to the injury but have bounced back against the Phoenix Suns and now the Spurs.
However, the Lakers now have a tough back-to-back set ahead of them in the form of the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee. They are currently standing fourth in the Western Conference with a 42-25 record, one game behind the Nuggets and the Houston Rockets, who are tied for second and third.
