Luka Doncic led the Los Angeles Lakers with 37 points and 10 assists in a 140-126 victory over the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.
“It was first practice we had yesterday. We had all the guys available… everybody was happy, everyone was joking around,” Doncic said, reflecting on the team’s restored lineup with LeBron James back on the floor.
Doncic emphasized the importance of ball movement, especially in the second half. “I think AR, Bron, and me… we are the facilitators. We can find a lot of open guys. We can share the ball and that’s what we did in the second half,” he said.
LeBron returned from a 14-game absence due to sciatica, recording 11 points and 12 assists while helping orchestrate a decisive third-quarter run that gave the Lakers control. Doncic credited James’ presence for the team’s offensive rhythm.
The Lakers outscored Utah 21-5 in the third quarter, with Doncic scoring 17 points during the decisive stretch. “First quarter, we didn’t really share the ball. The ball wasn’t moving. We just got to keep going and look at how we played, especially in the third quarter,” Doncic explained.
Austin Reaves added 26 points, while the Lakers combined for 17 assists from Doncic and James, shooting 60 percent in the second half and outrebounding the Jazz 41-35. Utah struggled to contain the Lakers’ balanced attack despite Keyonte George scoring 33 and Lauri Markkanen adding 31 points.
Doncic stressed a focus on continuous improvement. “We just got to work. We’ve got to go game by game… and just keep building this chemistry in this team,” he said.
Los Angeles will return to Utah for a rematch on Sunday, while the Jazz host the Thunder on Friday, looking to regroup after losing five of seven games.
