Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers squeezed out a 113-109 overtime win Thursday night against the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena. The victory increased LA’s win streak to eight games, the second-longest active win streak in the NBA, along with extending its record to 20-4 since Jan. 15.
With no Rui Hachimura and a struggling Austin Reaves (2-for-13 from the field), Doncic and LeBron James led the way for the Lakers. James supplied 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, while Doncic added 32 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals, along with a game-high +16 plus/minus.
As more information continues to come out following the blockbuster trade sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks and Doncic to Los Angeles, a former teammate of Doncic’s sought to set the records straight. Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes discussed his issue with Doncic’s portrayal since being traded, saying Doncic was a regular attendee of optional practices and lifts.
“It’s just a narrative around him. Once a narrative gets thrown out there, everybody just runs with it,” Grimes said (via Jarred Weiss of The Athletic). “Whatever they’re saying, if he’s 270 [pounds] and he gets to the [NBA] finals, let him be 270 then. It’s crazy.”
Since the Feb. 4 trade sending Grimes from Dallas to Philadelphia, he has played in 12 games averaging 16.8 points per game on 50.0% shooting, both career-highs. The former 25th pick in the 2021 NBA draft out of Houston has scored 30+ three times since being traded (via statmuse.com), something he had only done twice in his four-year career, including a career-high 44-point game against the Golden State Warriors.
Grimes is not the only former Mavericks player to defend Doncic in regards to his reported weight, with new Lakers wing Dorian Finney-Smith saying something similar last month (via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
Currently at second in the Western Conference, the Lakers will need to continue to string together wins in order to prevent the Denver Nuggets from overtaking them who sit just 0.5 games back.
