5 days ago
2
The Los Angeles Lakers may be getting back on track in earnest. After going through a stretch during which they lost six of 10 games, they have now won three games in a row and four out of their last five, thanks to their 111-103 victory on Tuesday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
As usual, Luka Doncic and LeBron James led the way. Doncic had 30 points and 10 assists, while James logged 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, with 10 of his points coming in the fourth quarter when the Lakers overcame a deficit and pulled away.
Advertisement
There has been a lot of discussion about how James needs to take a backseat at this point in his career and possibly even be the Lakers' third option behind Doncic and Austin Reaves. After Tuesday's game, he strongly implied that Doncic is indeed the focal point of L.A.'s offense, especially its halfcourt offense.
“Luka don't need to bend his game [for me]. Luka is our [26-year-old] franchise for this ball club. He don't need to bend his game. It's up to us to bend our game around him and figure it out. We just try to be dynamic and work off of him. We know he's an unbelievable pick-and-roll player, unbelievable shot-maker, commands [the] defense.”
Doncic continues to lead the NBA in scoring with an average of 33.5 points a game. James, after a slow start following his absence in the Lakers' first 14 games due to sciatica, is bumping up his season averages. He's now at 21.7 points, 6.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2% from the field, and he has reached the 30-point mark twice in his last three games.
As spry as the 41-year-old is right now, he has apparently conceded the fact that his best path to a fifth NBA championship is through Doncic.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron asserts that Luka Doncic is Lakers' offensive focal point
English (US) ·