The Los Angeles Lakers have moved to 12-4 on the season after escaping with a 108-106 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. It was Luka Doncic who starred for the Lakers on a night where Austin Reaves’ outside shot wasn’t quite working, LeBron James isn’t fully up to speed just yet, and Deandre Ayton had to exit at the halftime intermission due to a knee injury. Doncic put up 33 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in the winning effort, solidifying himself as the Lakers’ main man.
In a weird scheduling quirk, this Sunday game was the Lakers’ first in four days. While a lengthy layoff can be nice, this seemed to sap LA of its rhythm, and it took them a while before they hit their collective stride on the road. The Lakers have also been on the road for a vast majority of the past few weeks. Six of their past seven games have come away from the friendly confines of Crypto.com Arena.
Now, the Lakers are set to come home, with their next four games being in their sweet abode. And the prospect of a four-game homestand appears to be exciting Doncic, who cannot wait to get the perks that comes with living in LA.
“Going home is great. I can go to the beach,” Doncic told Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet after the Lakers’ win, via Harrison Faigen of SB Nation.
That is not a perk of the job that came with living in Dallas, so Doncic must be loving life with the Lakers especially when he gets to bask underneath the glow of the sun.
Lakers’ NBA Cup life on the line in the next few games
The Lakers are currently 2-0 in NBA Cup group stage action, putting them on top of Group B at the moment. But on Tuesday, they’ll be facing the Los Angeles Clippers in a battle between two unbeaten teams in the group. That is the game that could decide which team advances to Vegas out of the group.
They will be finishing the week with a contest against the struggling Dallas Mavericks, a game in which Doncic should be very motivated to do well.