- NBA star Luka Doncic will make his Los Angeles Lakers debut Monday against the Utah Jazz. His first game for the Lakers comes nine days after his trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
- Doncic and LeBron James will play together for the first time as teammates.
- Fellow All-Star Anthony Davis was injured during his debut with Dallas on Saturday. He could be out for several weeks.
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NBA star Luka Doncic will make his Los Angeles Lakers debut Monday, Feb. 10, at Crypto.com arena against the Utah Jazz. Doncic will play alongside LeBron James for the first time since his mega-trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 1.
Doncic has not played since injuring his calf on Christmas Day. The trade that sent him to Los Angeles for fellow All-Star Anthony Davis shook up the NBA. It also sparked one of the most chaotic trade deadlines in recent memory.
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ESPN rearranged its national TV schedule to carry Doncic’s Laker debut live Monday night. Now, the Lakers are tasked with fitting Doncic and James together and finding out whether that’s a recipe for a championship.
“The balance for me and the group has been maintaining the spirit that we’ve built, the identity that we’ve built, the connectivity that we’ve built, particularly over the last month or so,” Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said after a win over the L.A Clippers on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Despite getting Doncic on the court, the Lakers are still trying to figure out what they will do at the center position. The trade they made after the Doncic deal for Charlotte Hornets star Mark Williams was rescinded days later when Williams failed his physical.
The Dallas Mavericks have the same center issue. Fans watched Davis shine during his debut Saturday, in a win over the Houston Rockets. The newcomer had 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks before going down late in the third quarter with an injury. After the game, he didn’t seem concerned with his future availability.
“I know this city has a lot of emotion right now and I’m just trying to, you know, do my job and, you know, changing that emotion, you know, for good,” Davis said. “Just let, like I said in the press conference, letting Dallas fans know what they got, you know, in a player like me.”
However, reports Monday indicated Davis will miss several weeks with multiple injuries, putting a dent in the Mavs’ current plan.
Things are infinitely better in the Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors demolished the Chicago Bulls during Jimmy Butler’s first game alongside Steph Curry. Butler scored 25 points as the Warriors came back from a 24-point, third-quarter deficit to win by 21. The two superstars admit they are opposites but feel that mix could lead to a big playoff push.
“I don’t think I could be a better compliment to him and vice versa, in the sense that they’re not leaving him ever, probably two people would never leave him,” Butler said. “So, there’s so much space for everybody else, and I get the easy job.”
