Luka Doncic brought his record-breaking niche from Dallas to LA after being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last season. On Tuesday, the Slovenian made his season-opening debut with the Lakers, and it was historic.
In the 119-109 loss against the Golden State Warriors, Doncic scored 43 points on 17-of-27 shooting, including 2-of-10 from 3-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also contributed 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and one block in 41 minutes. However, the team struggled when he was on the floor as he finished with a -8 plus-minus.
With this performance, he matched big names of the game, including Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
Luka Doncic matches Shaquille O'Neal in Lakers' season-opening history
According to ESPN Stats & Info, with his performance Tuesday night, Luka Doncic became the second player after Shaquille O'Neal to record 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a season opener all-time.
Apart from this, Doncic is only the third player in Lakers history to score 40+ points in a season opener. Kobe Bryant and Elgin Baylor are the only other two players.
Despite Doncic's performance, he felt LeBron James' absence on both offense and defense. While Austin Reaves did contribute with 26 points, the rest of the Lakers were miserable from the floor. Even Doncic himself couldn't score well from deep, going 2-10 from deep. Deandre Ayton was a notable letdown as he could only come up with 10 points and, in the process, turned over the ball four times.
LeBron won't be available for at least three to four weeks because of sciatica affecting the right side of his body. As such, Doncic needs to spark the energy on the floor with timely dimes and clutch performances.
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