With the second half of their game against the Houston Rockets rapidly approaching, the Los Angeles Lakers needed something big to break their back-and-forth battle against Ime Udoka's squad.
With 1:09 left to play in the second quarter, All-Star point guard Luka Doncic answered that call, dropping Rockets center Alperen Sengun to the floor with a slick stepback before driving to the backet for an outlet 3 to Dorian Finney-Smith to go up 47-46.
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Alright, did Doncic travel there? Eh, maybe so, but frankly, does it really matter? The referee didn't call it, he didn't end up shooting the ball anyway, and DFS was able to use his long-lasting connection with the All-Star guard from their time together in Dallas to put points on the board.
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Making his debut for the Lakers on February 10th, Doncic has appeared in 21 games in a purple and gold uniform, averaging 27.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 8.6 rebounds while predominantly playing point guard for JJ Redick's squad. While Doncic is only shooting 41.6 percent from the field, he's hitting his 3s at a slightly higher tick than his career high, making 36.8 percent of his tres on 10 attempts per game.
With Doncic now in place, the Lakers have found some much-needed hope in what was looking like an underwhelming season. Stuck in the middle of the Western Conference with no real hope of taking out the established big guns, Doncic has given the team hope when they've needed it most, creating a new identity seemingly on the fly while players like LeBron James and Austin Reaves have been able to adapt to new roles incredibly well.
Will the Lakers be able to stick the landing, securing a choice spot in the playoffs where they can push for an expansive run into the summer? While only time will tell, the Lakers look like a different team with Doncic at the trigger and their future success will largely depend on how he handles the final months of the season.