For the big return of LeBron James, Luka Doncic makes a jazzy swing

Smiles, spectacle, a good dose of satisfaction and above all victory. This is how the Lakers night looked like against the Jazz (140-125) in the sign this return to the historic competition of LeBron James. This one did not have to come out of sobriety in terms of “scoring”, because the work was done by those who have been the California machine since the beginning of the season.

Starting with Luka Doncic, the author of 37 points and 10 assists (but 8 turnovers), excellently supported by the good performances of Austin Reeves (26 points) and Deandre Ayton (20 points and 14 rebounds). Finally finished, this training, which has already marked a convincing start to the exercise, is enough to arouse enthusiasm.

While many eyes were on “The King” early on, the Jazz signed off on an uninhibited start. Keyonte George and Svi Mihajluk took advantage of the slow first minutes of the Lakers’ defense to score the winning baskets and give Utah a significant first deficit (10-21).

Jazz defends himself with his weapon

The Jazz’s most dangerous player at the start of the match, George, would be joined in his endeavor by Laura Markkanen. The visitors’ two main offensive threats were about to reach the 30-point mark without difficulty. As a result, the Jazz, who were not behind in the first period, logically went to the locker room with a short lead (67-71).

The turn in favor of the home team happened at the end of the third quarter, when Luka Dončić, after an excellent collective sequence, scored the winning basket in the corner. Before doing a “2+1” walking away from the circle, giving himself a little hip swing in celebration.

Jackson Hayes then grabbed an offensive rebound for the new “2+1”, and then LeBron James turned the game around with a laser pass to Gabe Vincent in the corner for a 3-pointer. This 21-5 run in 5 minutes allowed Los Angeles to take control (104-93). And this last pass from James was a harbinger of things to come.

In the following minutes, the spirit would multiply the distribution sequences without the jazz being able to follow the rhythm set by the locals. After a few minutes in the last quarter, the Lakers pushed the deficit over 20 points. The match was over.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Caviar Festival for LeBron James. Some people probably saw Magic Johnson in this sequence. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the local legend was responsible for almost all the baskets of his team. A pass on the ground on a pick-and-roll that the Jazz didn’t cover for a dunk by Jackson Hayes, a new ball tipped to Gabe Vincent for a 3-pointer, two little one-handed passes in traffic to Deandre Ayton under the circle, another vision to Jake Laravia … distribution. A treat.

– The Lakers take over the racket. In a game where neither team shot more than 35% from 3-point range, the Californians dominated the rest of the game with 74 points, 18 more than their opponents. Thus, in addition to the domestic activity of Ayton or Hayes in this sector, the Doncic-Reeves pair spent the most time there. As a result, both men drew boos. Lots of whistles. With 28 free throws made, these two hit 10 more shots than the entire opposing team.

– Vertigo of longevity. The top scorer of his team with 34 points, one unit less than the career record, the very promising Keyonte George (22 years old) managed to indirectly understand this vertigo. He was born on November 8, 2023, ten days after… LeBron James’ first NBA game. Strikingly…

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.