Luka Doncic went backward in one statistical category on Monday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers are thrilled about it. With 1:12 left in the second quarter against the Miami Heat, the league revoked a technical foul he received. That move dropped his season total down to just one. It sounds like a tiny detail, but in the NBA, every foul matters when you are chasing a championship.
Doncic had 42 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds in the 138-117 win. He is averaging a league-leading 38.3 points per game. According to the New York Post, this marks his fourth 40-point game across the last five games. The Lakers sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 6-2 record. A clean record for the star player helps keep the team focused on the big picture.
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Giannis Puts It in Perspective
Even the Miami Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo had to stop and admire what Doncic is doing. After the game, Antetokounmpo had high praise for the Lakers guard. Antetokounmpo, who recorded 30 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two blocked shots, said “Obviously he’s one of the best scorers to ever play this game, if not the best,”. He did not stop there. “Not right now. Of all time. I feel like some people are scared to say that. But it’s got to be out there.”
Doncic has topped the league in scoring on two occasions and is trending toward a third. His career scoring average is 29.32 points. That number trails only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in history. He is only 27 years old and still in his prime. The numbers show he is only getting better as the season goes on.
The Secret to His Speed
When JJ Redick took over as the Lakers’ coach in June 2024, he identified something unique in Doncic’s game. In a previous podcast episode, he stated “The Old Man & The Three,” that Doncic “has the best brakes in the fu–king world.” Redick explained that “What he does is there’s a constant change of pace.” This skill makes him impossible to guard. He stays on balance while trying to get you off balance.
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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knows this struggle all too well. He said you cannot just put two or three defenders on him. “You’re pretty much going to go through your entire roster,” Spoelstra said. That is a hard task for any team. Against the Heat on Monday, Doncic had 24 points at halftime. Beginning in 2007 with Kobe Bryant, no Laker had scored 20 or more points in a first half for five straight games until he achieved this feat.
He is averaging a historical 1.07 points per minute. The only other player to surpass 1.0 was Wilt Chamberlain.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
