 | | Luka Leading in Multiple Ways | | by Mike Trudell | | | Luka Dončić scored 30 points with 10 assists in a 111-103 victory at New Orleans on Tuesday night, hitting a pair of dagger 3-pointers – one that was laughably difficult – that even had 41-year-old LeBron James beaming like a kid. | | | After the game, after receiving some treatment from the medical staff to start the process of his getting ready for an even bigger ask on his body and mind the next night in San Antonio, he steeled himself for the task.
And with LeBron joining Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura on the injury list against the Spurs, Luka showed zero signs of succumbing to the moment, instead keeping the remaining Lakers around throughout a competitive night of hoops before the healthy Spurs pulled away late in the fourth quarter.
Dončić finished the game with 38 points on 13 of 26 FGs, with 10 assists and 10 rebounds for another 30-point triple-double, not to mention three steals.
“He had the requisite disposition of leadership tonight,” said his coach, JJ Redick. “His body language, his confidence, gave his teammates confidence.”
Dončić, so competitive that he’s mad at losing literally any kind of game of anything from rock, paper, scissors to the NBA Finals, was still able to take some solace in the collective effort of the group.
“I think everybody should by proud,” he explained. “We fought really hard against a great team, missing some (key) players. We had some great shots we could have knocked down, but we didn’t. We were in the game, most of the game … I think since Christmas, it’s been better. We’re working on ourselves, and we’re getting better every game.”
Indeed, prior to that loss on the second night of the back-to-back, the Lakers had won three straight games, beating Memphis twice at home, and New Orleans on the road to improve to third in the Western Conference prior to the loss in Texas. Luka did what he could to keep the level of competition as high as possible.
“With LeBron and AR being out, (Luka) had to control the game a little bit more than he’s done with those guys out there, just making sure we’re all in our spots,” said Jake LaRavia. “I remember at one point he grabbed the white board (during a timeout) and was talking to us about (where to be) when San Antonio was firing and blitzing him. To be honest, I think he’s done a great job all year of being a leader.”
While he’s continuing to take on more and more of the leadership role, Luka has also been consistently tapping into the otherworldly talent that has him leading the NBA in scoring (33.5 points per game), while ranking fourth in assists (8.7) and 24th in rebounding (7.9).
In related news, on Tuesday afternoon, he found out that he was the leading vote-getter amongst all NBA players, something he found very humbling.
“Honestly it does,” he responded when asked if it makes him feel appreciated by the fans. “It’s the first time that’s happened to me. Honestly, it’s pretty amazing, just a kid from Slovenia only can dream about being in the NBA … I really appreciate all the votes, and to see that, it definitely hit me. It’s amazing.” |  | Gabe Vincent chose the same word to describe his teammate.
“It’s amazing,” said Vincent. “He puts his heart out there on the court every night when he plays and competes. He’s diving for balls like everyone else. The performances that he can go out there and have? It’s incredible. It’s no shock to me that he’s leading in All-Star votes and having the season he’s having.”
Jake LaRavia wasn’t surprised, either. Though, 2,229,811 votes is pretty impressive, he allowed!
“I feel like it’s expected,” he offered. “He has fans worldwide, he’s a fantastic player. Very entertaining to watch, super offensively talented, can do pretty much anything, shoot from anywhere, make every kind of pass. He’s a very one-of-a-kind player. Congrats to him for that.”
“That’s awesome (he’s leading in votes),” said Redick. “I think he’s established himself as a global superstar. He has for years now. Certainly speaks to the popularity of the Lakers brand, and the amount of fans that follow us and cheer for us and live and breathe with every shot and every game like everyone in our locker room does. I think he’s a fantastic representative of this organization.”
One player in particular that’s been a beneficiary of playing aside the 26-year-old Dončić is Jaxson Hayes, who receives at least a couple of alley-oop tosses seemingly every night.
“When you have a player as confident as him, you cease to get amazed,” said Hayes. “The shots he was making (in New Orleans) and (in San Antonio) were just crazy. A player like that, you just gotta keep feeding the hot hand, and it’s my job to get him open.”
That will undoubtedly be a key element of what the Lakers feature as they continue to push through January towards the All-Star break in February.
With Luka leading the way. | | | | | |
