The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-99 on Friday night behind 41 points from Luka Doncic. It got them one step closer to securing the third seed in the Western Conference, and ran LA’s record to 22-2 against the NBA's bottom ten teams with Luka in the lineup this season. The Don capitalizes against the worst teams and gives his squad an incredibly high regular-season floor.
Fans didn’t quite see the same success from Luka last season, but the midseason trade and multiple injuries prevented Luka from playing at his best. In the 2023-24 season, Doncic went 23-3 against the bottom ten teams as he led the Mavericks to 50 regular-season victories. Dallas got hot down the stretch and went all the way to the NBA Finals. Luka made that possible by taking care of business against the worst teams.
Luka is a six-time All-Star and is closing in on his sixth first-team All-NBA selection. He is one of the best players in the world. The Lakers still can’t believe Dallas traded him, and number 77 ensures Los Angeles will be in the playoffs with homecourt advantage by defeating the league's bottom-feeders.
Luka Doncic trade just keeps getting better for the Lakers
Luka is leading the NBA in scoring for the second time in three seasons. He is unstoppable and getting buckets at a rate fans haven’t seen since Michael Jordan. Lakers fans know he deserves to be the MVP. LA was virtually written off before this hot stretch, and Doncic is leading them to something special.
The Lakers have won 14 of their last 16 games and look like a serious threat. Fans can thank Luka for helping the purple and gold completely change their defense. He has been unbelievable during this run, and Doncic is just getting started.
The Lakers still have three games left against teams that won’t even qualify for the Play-In Tournament. If they take care of business in those contests, LA will lock up the third seed in the West and be primed to make a playoff run.
It was far from the perfect night. The Nets fought hard and gave the Lakers problems. Brooklyn was picking up full court and doubling number 77 often. Luka picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in a spat with Ziaire Williams, which triggers a one-game suspension. He will be unable to play against the Wizards on Monday night unless the league office rescinds this technical.
Doncic finished with 41 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in 38 minutes of action. He made 15 of his 25 field goal attempts, including sinking five 3-pointers. It was his 12th consecutive 30-point game, and Luka made sure the Lakers didn’t lose this one. The Nets played hard and tried to win. Credit to them, but Brooklyn didn’t have Doncic.
Luka Doncic takes care of business against the NBA’s worst team. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is 58-11 over the last three years against teams that finish in the bottom ten in the standings. The worst teams don’t do a lot of winning, but taking care of business against them gives a contender a high floor and all but ensures a 50-win season.
Luka has mastered it, and Lakers fans should be excited for the present and future. Doncic is just getting started, and LA looks like a serious title contender. That is what happens with the Slovenian superstar. Luckily for Los Angeles, the Mavericks traded him. The Lakers couldn’t be happier.