Luka Dončić responds to JJ Redick’s ‘killer’ challenge in delivering first signature win as a Laker

Hours before the Los Angeles Lakers crushed the Denver Nuggets, 123-100, in a big Western Conference showdown on Saturday night, Lakers head coach JJ Redick issued a challenge to Luka Dončić: “I want him to have a ‘blackout episode’ tonight where he screams at no one in particular. That’s the Luka I know. That’s the killer.”

Dončić delivered late in the second quarter when he let everyone in the vicinity know about the nasty step-back 3-pointer he had just made over Christian Braun. That may not have been one of his most memorable “blackout episodes,” but Dončić was certainly the “killer” on Saturday that Redick and everyone else has come to know over the years. In his best performance yet with the Lakers, Dončić went off for 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

“I’m finally feeling like myself a little bit,” Dončić said during his postgame interview. “Playing this game, this is what I love. Just finally being myself a little bit, so that’s why I was smiling the whole game.”

Less than two minutes in, Dončić found LeBron James for a dunk, the first of four different connections between the two stars, and never looked back. He had more points in the first half (19) than he totaled in his first three games in a Lakers uniform combined.

After the Nuggets opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to one, Dončić was ready with an answer. He either scored or assisted on nine points during a 15-2 run that reasserted the Lakers’ control over the game. They spent most of the remaining minutes up by double-figures before piling it on at the end. 

The win, which ended the Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak, was perhaps the ideal version of this new Lakers team. They were able to keep at least one of James or Dončić on the floor at all times to run the show, and got great games from both of them. The outside shots were falling (16 of 41 from 3-point range) and their role players brought the defensive energy. 

“I think we still got a lot of improvement,” Dončić said of learning to play with the NBA‘s all-time leading scorer. “This is my fourth game. So you know, chemistry takes time. We saw today that it’s getting better. So, every day it’s going to get better. “

Things won’t always work this well, but it’s clear the Lakers can play with anyone and should only get better in the coming weeks as Dončić gets back into basketball shape after missing nearly two months and acclimates to his new surroundings following the blockbuster trade that ended his time in Dallas. 

“Hard. Different,” Dončić said when asked how the last few weeks have been for him. “But you know, I’m happy to be playing basketball. So like I say, every day is going to get better. To me, I’m happy to be here. Clearly, these guys are really incredible, so I’m happy for the new journey.”

With the win, the Lakers improved to 34-21, good for fourth place in the West standings after the Houston Rockets’ loss on Saturday night. They’ve pulled away from the Play-In Tournament pack and now have their sights set on maintaining home-court advantage in the first round. The third-place Nuggets’ advantage over the Lakers is down to two games.