Doncic a winner in Lakers debut, 132-113 over Jazz
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in his Lakers debut as Los Angeles beat the Utah Jazz 132-113 on Monday night.
LeBron James finished with 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, Austin Reaves scored 22 and the Lakers got their sixth straight win.
Doncic, acquired in a shocking trade from the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 2, played for the first time since sustaining a calf strain on Christmas. He was limited to just under 24 minutes as a precaution and was able to sit out the fourth quarter with his new team in complete control, but still had several standout moments to help the surging Lakers get their 12th victory in 14 games.
Buoyed by its new superstar, Los Angeles had seven players reach double figures, shot a blistering 54.3% from the floor and led by as many as 34.
Lauri Markkanen and John Collins each scored 17 points for the Jazz, who have dropped nine in a row on the road.
Takeaways
Jazz: Head coach Will Hardy said before the game that he hoped his young team would embrace the unusual circumstances, but Utah struggled in the spotlight.
Lakers: Doncic’s debut was a star-studded affair, even by Los Angeles standards. Adele, Will Ferrell, Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki were among those in attendance.
Key moment
Doncic made a series of impressive passes in his first game wearing the purple and gold, including setting up Jaxson Hayes for an alley-oop dunk 50 seconds into the game and finding a streaking James with a three-quarter court heave for a layup in the final minute of the opening half.
Key stat
Doncic looked heavy-legged after the long layoff, shooting 5 of 14 from the field and making only one of his seven attempts from 3-point range (14.3%).
Up next
The Jazz host the Lakers on Wednesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press
