Luka Doncic matched the second-best performance of his NBA career on Thursday, scoring 60 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 134-126 win over the Miami Heat in front of Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who was in the arena on the eve of his debut at the Miami Tennis Tournament.
The Lakers arrived in Miami in the wee hours of Thursday morning after competing – and winning – on the Houston Rockets’ home court, but the fatigue didn’t show on the court, where the Angelenos sealed their eighth straight victory. “I was tired, but it shows what this team is,” Doncic said after the Miami game.
Smiles with Alcaraz
Also sitting courtside was Carlos Alcaraz, with whom Doncic chatted and joked for a few seconds before having his picture taken.
Luka Doncic matched the 60 points scored in December 2022 in a Dallas Mavericks jersey against the New York Knicks and was thirteen shy of his all-time record of 73.
The Slovenian achieved that mark on January 26, 2024 in a Mavericks game against the Hawks.
A little over a year later, in a trade that surprised the entire NBA, the Mavs sent Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, now with the Washington Wizards.
Doncic dominated Miami with 18-of-30 shooting from the field and nine-of-17 three-pointers in 37 minutes.
He added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals to his tally, with only 2 losses.
It was a superhero performance
JJ Redick
“He made great shots, tricky shots. When he gets in rhythm like that, you let him do what he wants to do. His teammates saw it too,” JJ Redick said.
He surpassed 50 points for the second time in his last 5 games and formed an unstoppable duo with LeBron James, who played his 1,611th NBA game and equaled Robert Parish’s record.
LeBron, record-equalizing triple double
James, 41, will be able to stay on his own next March 21, when the Lakers visit the Orlando Magic.
LeBron, who won 2 rings in Miami, signed a triple double of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for the Lakers.
They settled in third place in the West (45-25), behind the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was a hard-fought win for the Lakers, coming back from a 15-point deficit against the Heat (38-32), who have lost three in a row and are fighting to avoid the playoffs in the East.
The Heat’s top scorer was Bam Adebayo, with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Erick Spoelstra’s team is going through a difficult time and lost its 13th game of the season at the Kaseya Center.
Where much of the crowd ended up celebrating Luka Doncic’s 60-point feat with chants of ‘MVP’.
With information from EFE
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