The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning 17 of their last 20 games. They’ve skyrocketed to second place in the Western Conference standings, and the scariest part, Luka Doncic hasn’t even hit his stride yet.
Doncic has struggled in his first eight games as a Laker, shooting just 27% from the three-point range and 39% overall. He has yet to find his rhythm from beyond the arc this season, but there’s optimism that his shooting will improve as he settles in. That progress is already showing-over the last two games against the Clippers on March 2, and Pelicans on March 4, he shot 52% from the field and 41% from three against the Clippers, 47% from the field and 46% from deep against New Orleans. “I’m still getting that rhythm,” Doncic said during a recent post-game. “But at the end of the day, it’s about winning games and we’re doing that now and we can’t relax at all.”
In their recent stretch, the Lakers have locked down opponents defensively, ranking third in defensive rating over their last ten games at 109.3. Over their most recent seven-game win streak, they’ve held teams under 103 points in six of those matchups, including statement wins over the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Clippers (twice). Key players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith have been defensive spark plugs.
LeBron James, at age 40, continues to impress with no signs of decline. His current season averages are 24.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game-closely resemble his career numbers, with a slight dip in scoring from his 27-point career average but an increase in rebounds and assists (career averages of 7.5 and 7.4, respectively). His efficiency remains steady, proving that even two decades into his career, he’s still among the league’s elite.
In the win against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 4, James reached another historic milestone, surpassing 50,000 career points. This achievement further cements his legacy alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (44,149 points) and Karl Malone (41,689) as one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen. Laker head coach JJ Redick praised James, saying, “He’s one of the greatest competitors. He’s amazing to coach. He brings it every single day. He sets the standard for how you’re supposed to approach this craft.”
The Lakers are rolling, and once Doncic finds his rhythm, they’ll be firing on all cylinders. For those who doubted JJ Redick’s ability as a first-year head coach, he’s quickly proving them wrong. He is making a legitimate case for Coach of the Year honors. If this trajectory continues, Redick’s hiring could be remembered as another James masterstroke, much like Cleveland’s gamble on the then-unproven Tyronn Lue, which led to a championship in his first season in 2016.
Next up for the Lakers is a home game against the Knicks on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena before they begin a four-game road trip starting in Boston on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The game will be shown on Channel 7.