Luka Doncic scores a triple-double to lead the Lakers to victory over the Heat
Of course, Luka Doncic was the one who created the unexpected goal.
On a frigid shooting night, when the star guard made just one 3-pointer in 11 attempts, Doncic hit a shot from 40 feet on a dead ball that elicited a roar from defenders. crypto.com The arena.
Instead, he made his impact in other ways.
Doncic overcame his poor shooting to achieve his first hat-trick of the season, scoring 29 points, passing 10 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds. Win 130-120 On the Miami Heat on Sunday. Fellow guard Austin Reaves was also struggling with his shot, making just four of 14 three-point attempts, but he recorded 26 points and 11 assists on just three turnovers.
Even though their stars struggled with inconsistent nights, the Lakers (5-2) still shot 50.5% from the field. They recorded 33 assists versus 11 turnovers. They won their third straight game.
“We did a lot of really good things, and it would have been better if Luka and I had both shot the ball,” Reeves deadpanned. “But the supporting cast and everyone around them played really well.”
Forward Jake Laravia, who turns 24 on Tuesday, scored in double figures for the third straight game off the bench, finishing with 25 points — two shy of his season high — and eight rebounds. He has averaged 21.7 points per game over the last three games.
Doncic, who missed three games with minor finger and leg injuries, scored 40 points in each of his first three games this season. Only Wilt Chamberlain has started the season with three straight 40-point games. But Doncic was happy to sacrifice his scoring record on Sunday.
“We got the win,” Doncic said.[it] It doesn’t matter how many goals you score.”
Doncic and Reeves struggled in the first quarter, shooting two-of-seven from the field. However, the Lakers still led by seven goals, with the star duo dishing out eight assists.
Center Jackson Hayes was one of the main beneficiaries in that period, scoring 11 points on five-of-five shooting. He made a ferocious one-handed dunk after an assist from Doncic that got Hayes so excited that he hit the basket stanchion with his head in celebration. He hit his first 3-pointer since March 27, 2023, confidently tapping in a shot that put the Lakers up 23-13 and forced the Heat to call an early timeout.
Hayes finished with 15 points and five rebounds in his first start of the year as Deandre Ayton was suspended due to back spasms. Ayton suffered a back injury during the Lakers’ win in Memphis on Friday, causing him to miss the entire second half. He was available to return in the fourth quarter, but with the Lakers feeding off Hayes and Jared Vanderbilt at quarterback, the team didn’t want to risk more injuries, coach JJ Redick said after the game.
The Heat (3-3) ended the third quarter with a score of 20-7, pulling within four points before the start of the fourth quarter. Former UCLA star Jaime Jaquez Jr., playing in front of his hometown crowd, cut the deficit to two with an emphatic one-handed layup 58 seconds in the fourth quarter. Silence fell over the Lakers fans.
But Reeves helped suppress the comeback effort.
He tripped while trying to dribble behind his legs, but recovered to hit a fadeaway mid-range jumper with 1.6 seconds left in the shot clock that put the Lakers up by six with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Less than 20 seconds later, Reeves delivered a drop ball from just inside midcourt to the rising Laravia, who brought the crowd to its feet with a two-handed slam.