Saturday action in the NBA had a superstar in Luka Doncic go off yet again, a record-breaking dud from LeBron James in his Cleveland homecoming, and a muted reception for Trae Young in his old stomping grounds. Take a look:
Luka Doncic Goes Off for 53
It was Luka Doncic’s night, and it wasn’t close. He scored a season-high 53 points and Austin Reaves added 25 as the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to four games with a 124-118 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. Doncic also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and it was his 11th career 50-point game and fourth with Los Angeles.
The game didn’t start that way. Portland controlled most of the first half and led by as many as 16 points. Then came the shift, a long-range three at the halftime buzzer from Doncic that cut the deficit to 60-53. He scored 20 points in the third quarter alone and hit a key jumper with about 28 seconds left after the Blazers had trimmed a 12-point deficit.
The scoring marks are historic. Doncic now has four straight regular-season games with 40 or more points, joining Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, and George Mikan as the only Lakers to do it. He also has seven consecutive games with at least 35 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 made threes. It was a form of revenge, since Portland had beaten Los Angeles earlier this season. Walker Kessler added 16 points and 12 rebounds. For Portland, Deni Avdija had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists, and Damian Lillard scored 22.
LeBron’s Streak Ends in Cleveland
LeBron James said he’d already seen “the depths of hell” from a Cleveland crowd. Friday was a different kind of nightmare.
The 41-year-old had one of the worst games of his career in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 119-96 NBA Cup loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, finishing with 8 points on 3-of-12 shooting and 7 turnovers. It ended his 22-year streak of 10-point games in Cleveland. The last time he scored fewer than 10 there was on December 29, 2004, a day before his 20th birthday.
It was LeBron’s first trip back since choosing the Sixers over Cleveland, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Miami Heat in free agency, and the crowd welcomed him warmly. Most fans stood and cheered, giving James louder roars than the Cavaliers’ starters. “At the end of the day, nothing can get worse than December 2, 2010 from a reception standpoint,” he said. “So, anything in between is easy money.”
LeBron wasn’t alone. Joel Embiid went 0-for-9 for 6 points, and the pair became the third different former MVP duo in NBA history to each score in single digits and shoot 25% or worse in the same game. “I know I damn sure wasn’t good at all,” James said. The Sixers are still 8-2 and visit Chicago on Monday. “If you would have told me our team, through 10 games, would be 8-2, I’d take it.”
Trae Young Gets His Moment
A year ago, Trae Young returned to Atlanta unable to play because of a knee injury. This time, he was healthy. The Washington Wizards guard had 23 points, 10 assists, and a season-high 8 turnovers in a 139-132 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who swept the home-and-home series this week.
The reception to Young was mostly muted, with a few cheers when he was introduced. “I don’t even know how to describe the feeling,” Young said. “It was different. It was cool for me.” The four-time All-Star, who is the Hawks’ all-time leader in assists and three-pointers, was traded to Washington in January for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. He also made sure to say hello to his former coach, Quin Snyder, after not getting the chance on Wednesday. Young came into the game leading the NBA in assists at 9.3 per game.
