LOS ANGELES (AP) – Luka Doncic was the last starter introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers, an honour normally reserved for LeBron James. When Doncic jogged into the spotlight on a darkened court through a cordon of his new teammates, his new fans stood and roared while wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and number.
Even a young superstar could feel the magnificence of the moment.
“I was a little nervous before,” Doncic said. “I (don’t remember) the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court again, it was fun. Just being out there, it felt amazing.”
Doncic’s debut with the Lakers was brief and successful Monday night, but it piqued the anticipation of everybody involved for his days and years ahead in Los Angeles.
Doncic scored 14 points while playing just 23 minutes, immediately getting into the flow with James and his teammates during Los Angeles’ 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. Doncic added five rebounds and four assists – none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
Doncic was grateful to be playing basketball after nearly seven weeks of injury absence, and he was happy to begin to move past the upheaval in his life ever since the Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world 10 days ago by trading their 25-year-old centerpiece and NBA scoring champion.
Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of No 77 shirts, but his pregame introduction was something he’ll remember for a long time.
“Just the amount of cheering there was in the arena was absolutely unbelievable,” Doncic said. “That was my favourite part – and to play again.”
Doncic said James texted him in the morning and offered to do anything to help – and Doncic took him up on it by taking the final intro spot. They’ll swap for the Lakers’ next home game next week, Doncic said with a grin.
“Shows what kind of person he is,” Doncic said. “He let me have my moment.”
The Slovenian scorer’s first bucket was a three-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot. Doncic scored 11 points while Los Angeles streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead, and he sat down for good with 3:07 left in the third quarter with the Lakers far ahead in their sixth consecutive victory.
The game was Doncic’s first since he strained his left calf in December. After a full week to settle in Los Angeles and to return to full strength, Doncic joined James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes as starters for the streaking Lakers, who had won 11 of 13 even before adding a five-time All-NBA selection to their lineup.
The Lakers have Doncic on a minutes restriction after his injury absence. His legs aren’t quite there yet – he went one for seven on three-point attempts in his debut – but his playmaking immediately meshed with his new teammates.
Doncic’s first touch was an alley-oop assist to Hayes, and he hit his three-pointer moments later. He was serenaded with “Luka! Luka!” chants at the first dead ball, and several times thereafter.
“I just think it could be a thing of beauty, the way we can manipulate the game on the offensive end and get what we want every single possession,” said Reaves, who scored 22 points.
“Luka is one of the best passers in the world… but yeah, I think it’s just the high-level IQ going along with pieces that really fit. (Doncic and James) can shoot the ball, pass the ball, and really play the right way.”
