Luka Doncic rediscovers his scoring touch, leading Lakers to win over Pelicans

Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times on Apr 5, 2025

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LOS ANGELES —Jaxson Hayes tapped Luka Doncic on the leg. Maxi Kleber walked by and quietly did the same. And Markieff Morris plopped down on the bench next to the star and put his right arm on the back of Doncic’s chair.

The entire time, the Lakers star guard just looked blankly ahead. The joy he brought to the Lakers since getting comfortable in Los Angeles disappeared, a miserable 0 for 7 first shift compounding upon a performance he called “unacceptable” the night before in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

With the Lakers playing one of the worst teams in the league in the Pelicans, Doncic was getting scorched by pesky guard Jose Alvarado and was plainly frustrated.

But when he checked back in during the second quarter, the Lakers had found a little footing, traces of rhythm and, as he cut backdoor to score his first basket on an easy layup.

The Lakers weren’t perfect the rest of the way in a 124-108 win in their penultimate home game of the regular season, but they certainly weren’t smothered in the dark cloud that covered Doncic for much of the last two games.

And as they worked their way through his slump, the Lakers did the kind of things they’ll certainly need in bulk as they prepare for back-to-back games against the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

The game came amid discussion surrounding a worrisome stat for the Lakers (47-30) — the team had actually been outscored by 24 points in the 320 minutes Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves have shared the court so far.

“I don’t make a ton of it,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game Thursday. “I don’t think the expectation, at least internally for us, was we’re going to be the 2016-2017 Warriors or this year’s Oklahoma City Thunder. We didn’t expect that. So the disjointedness of an in-season trade is there.

“Those guys, I think, are committed to making it work with each other when they’re on the court. ... They’re committed to making it work when there are two of them on the court or one of them is on the court. It’s a work in progress. We all knew that was gonna be the case.”

In the best moments Friday, the trio looked almost unstoppable. James found Reaves in the corner on a no-look pass for a three-pointer. Doncic hit James underneath the basket for an easy bucket. And in the game’s biggest highlight, Reaves led a fast break in the middle of the court with Doncic running to the right and James to the left, flipping the ball behind his back before connecting with James on a lob.

The three have been pretty dominant when playing together in recent games. Against the Warriors, despite Doncic’s struggles, the Lakers were plus-13.9 points per 100 possessions with James, Reaves and Doncic on the court. Against Houston earlier in the week, the Lakers were plus 20.8 when they played.

They all had their moments of dominance against the Pelicans (21-56). Doncic finished with 35 points, looking like a player who recaptured his mojo. Reaves continued his play as one of the league’s top complimentary scorers, finishing with 30 points on only 13 field-goal attempts. And James, who said he’s feeling the best he’s felt since injuring his groin, scored 27 and had eight assists.

The win, combined with Denver’s loss to the Warriors, has the Lakers third in the West.