A NERVOUS STARTER: The Slovenian star said that he was a little bit nervous before the game, ‘but once I stepped on the court again, it was fun, it felt amazing’
AP, LOS ANGELES
Luka Doncic on Monday was the last starter introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers, an honor 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.”
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, right, defends during their NBA game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Doncic’s debut with the Lakers was brief and successful, but it piqued the anticipation of everybody involved for time 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.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic greets the bench during their NBA game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images
Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of No. 77 shirts, but his pre-game introduction was something he will remember for a long time.
“Just the amount of cheering there was in the arena was absolutely unbelievable,” Doncic said. “That was my favorite part — and to play again.”
Doncic said that 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 will 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 as Los Angeles streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead and he sat down for good with 3 minutes, 7 seconds 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.
Coach J.J. Redick, who played alongside Doncic for 13 games in 2021 with the Mavericks, was pleased by Doncic’s poise and patience in a landmark game.
“Knowing Luka, whether he will admit this or not, there was probably a little bit of nerves playing for the Lakers for the first time, and the anticipation that this building had,” Redick said. “I thought he handled it really well and he played really well tonight… He didn’t make it about Luka. He made it about playing good basketball and playing Laker basketball.”
Elsewhere on Monday, it was:
‧ Bucks 111, Warriors 125
‧ Cavaliers 128, T’wolves 107
‧ Heat 85, Celtics 103
‧ Magic 106, Hawks 112
‧ Mavericks 128, Kings 129 (OT)
‧ Nets 97, Hornets 89
‧ Nuggets 146, Trail Blazers 117
‧ Thunder 137, Pelicans 101
‧ Wizards 121, Spurs 131
