Luka Doncic scored 14 points in limited playing time during his debut with the Lakers on Monday night, joining their starting lineup alongside LeBron James and immediately getting into the flow during Los Angeles' 132-113 victory over the Jazz.
He scored 11 points while the Lakers streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead, and he sat down for good with 3:07 left in the third quarter with the Lakers far ahead in their sixth consecutive victory.
Doncic played only 24 minutes as the Lakers bring him back deliberately from his injury. His legs aren't quite there yet -- he went 1 for 7 on 3-point attempts in his debut -- but his playmaking immediately meshed with his new teammates. That crowd included Dirk Nowitzki, who overlapped with Doncic for one season in Dallas and served as his mentor. Doncic appeared to be the natural heir to the German Hall of Famer's incredible run in Dallas -- until current Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided otherwise.
"Feel like it's best right now to ease Luka back in to playing NBA action," Redick said before the game. "I think if it was up to Luka, he would probably play 48 minutes, but we're thinking long-term and we want to be safe." Doncic said James texted him about the player introductions Monday morning and offered to do whatever order Doncic wanted.Doncic said he appreciated the gesture to let him go last and that it'll go back to James moving forward.
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