The Los Angeles Lakers entered Sunday, March 2 coming off of two of the most devastating games of the season. Los Angeles won both, but lost two of its most important players and starters to injuries in Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves.
Thankfully, for as much of an oversimplification as it appears to be, there are mountains of evidence to support the claim that when all else fails, the Lakers can simply get the ball to Luka Doncic.
Doncic was sublime on Sunday, continuing his annual tradition of tormenting the LA Clippers. He went off to the tune of 29 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals on 9-of-17 shooting, burying five three-point field goals along the way.
That’s an admittedly average performance by Doncic’s lofty standards, but it was exactly what the Lakers needed on a generally off night on offense.
Dalton Knecht was excellent, posting 19 points, four rebounds, and two steals in just 25 minutes, shooting 7-of-10 from the field. The Lakers’ other players, however, combined for just 60 points, with LeBron James going 6-of-17 from the field while committing eight turnovers.
Even still, the Lakers managed to pull out a short-handed 108-102 win over the Clippers by going all-in on defense and allowing Doncic to do what he does best: Take over in big spots.
Doncic scored or assisted 10 of the Lakers’ 19 fourth-quarter points, including seven during the final six minutes and 17 seconds. It may not be his most mind-blowing performance to date, but it was a clear example of how trustworthy he is in big moments.
That strength under pressure is exactly why Doncic is uniquely equipped to take on the type of workload that could await him with Hachimura and Reaves sidelined by injuries.
The obvious hope is that neither Hachimura nor Reaves will miss extensive time due to their injuries. Every game missed will be a challenge, however, and both will likely need several games to get back to 100 percent once the injuries subside.
Even if that proves to be the case, Doncic has already proven capable of carrying an offense to extraordinary heights.
Doncic played alongside an impressive cast of co-stars in Dallas, including Jalen Brunson, Kyrie Irving, and Kristaps Porzingis. He’ll now have the opportunity to do the same with James, who’s still producing as though he was 10 years younger than he is.
Much as he did with the Mavericks, however, Doncic will make his name with the Lakers as a player who can take over every phase of the offensive game—regardless of how well his co-star is performing.
Doncic is the reigning scoring champion, having posted the fourth-highest average since the turn of the century at 33.9 points per game in 2023-24. He’s No. 3 in NBA history in career scoring average, No. 12 in career assists per contest, and has three seasons that rank 13th or higher all-time in usage rate.
The Lakers will need to continue to dominate on the defensive end of the floor with two of their best offensive players sidelined, but Doncic is the ultimate break glass in case of emergency player.
