The Los Angeles Lakers have become winners of seven in a row after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 136-115 tonight at the Crypto.com Arena. They're 39-21 now and solidifying their hold over the No. 2 seed in the West.
LeBron James scored his 50,00th NBA point with his first bucket of the game, ending the night with 34 points (10-18 FG), eight rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. Luka Doncic was the master orchestrator, racking up 30 points (9-19 FG) with eight rebounds and 15 assists. Jaxson Hayes had a perfect 19 points (8-8 FG) and 10 rebounds. Multiple double-digit contributors off the Lakers bench shone as well.
Fans are in basketball nirvana watching the LeBron-Luka show catapult LA to the top of the West.
"10/10 recommend having Luka Doncic on your favorite basketball team," said one Lakers fan still in shock he's playing for them
"Imagine a team where your floor is LeBron, and your ceiling is Luka lol," said one fan about the Lakers' excellent play.
"Luka joins the team and suddenly Jaxson Hayes is a dawg," said one fan about Jaxson Hayes' recent emergence as a big-time contributor.
"Luka didn’t play defense in Dallas. That ain’t the case here lol," said a fan about the great defense Doncic has shown in LA.
"LeBron, I just could never thank you enough," said one fan filled with gratitude towards the 40-year-old forward.
"Luka and LeBron is like watching two LeBrons on the same team," said another fan in disbelief over what we're witnessing.
The Pelicans saw Zion Williamson lead them with an admirable effort, putting up 37 points (17-23 FG) and six assists. Trey Murphy III scored 19 points (4-11 FG) and dished out five assists. Jordan Hawkins came off the bench with an impactful 17 points (6-14 FG), but the team was far too outmatched for the Lakers in their current form right now.
The Lakers look like they haven't missed a beat since both Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura went out with injury in the last week. With their absence likely continuing, a tricky set of games awaits the Lakers' schedule, starting with the New York Knicks in two days.
If Doncic and LeBron can continue connecting on this high a level and getting the bare-minimum from their rotation to make up for their absences, they could easily continue this form. Sealing the No. 2 seed will be their priority, and with a full-form Doncic and rejuvenated LeBron, their ceiling is as high as any other team in the NBA right now.
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