LUKA Doncic finally made his Los Angeles Lakers’ debut as they cruised to a dominant 132-113 victory over Utah Jazz in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season on Monday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles California.
Doncic tallied 14 points, on a 5-of-14 field goal shooting, to go with five rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes of action as the Lakers netted its sixth straight win for a 32-19 win-loss slate.
The Slovenian star converted five early points in the opening quarter, four in the second quarter and five more in the third frame before sitting out the final quarter with the Lakers already ahead by 20 points.
LeBron James led the way with 24 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, Austin Reaves added 22 points and nine rebounds, and Rui Hachimura contributed 21 markers for the Lakers.
Jordan Goodwin also made his presence felt with 17 points, while Jaxson Hayes and Gabe Vincent contributed 12 and 11, respectively, for the Lakers, which have won nine of its last 10 games.
Lauri Markannen and John Collins finished with 17 points apiece, Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson added 16 markers, while Johnny Juzang ended with 14 as the Jazz dropped to 12-40.
Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors took advantage of a shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks roster to score a dominant 125-111 victory at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Stephen Curry scored 38 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the floor, including six three-point conversions, as the Lakers secured their second straight win for a 27-26 win-loss slate.
Jimmy Butler added 20 points and nine boards in his second game with the Warriors, Buddy Hield contributed 16 markers, while Quinten Poet and Moses Moody tallied 13 points each.
Damian Lillard finished with 38 points, Kyle Kuzma put up 21 points and Taurean Prince contributed 19 as the Bucks took their sixth loss in eight games, dropping to a 28-24 record./PN
BOX SCORE:
LOS ANGELES 132 — James 24, Reaves 22, Hachimura 21, Goodwin 17, Doncic 14, Hayes 12, Vincent 11, Finney-Smith 4, Morris 3, Milton 2, Jemison 2, Vanderbilt 0.
UTAH 113 — Markannen 17, Collins 17, Clarkson 16, Juzang 14, Kessler 13, Collier 13, George 11, Filipowski 9, Potter 2, Sensabaugh 1, Harkless 0.
Quarterscores: 37-25, 72-47, 100-75, 132-113.
