Malik Waqar
Luka Doncic made his much-anticipated debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, leading his new side to a 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena.
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Despite entering on a strong run, Utah struggled to match the intensity of their opponents, falling behind early and never recovering.
Doncic, playing under a minutes restriction following a calf injury, contributed 14 points and four assists in 24 minutes. LeBron James also contributed a solid 24 points.
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The Jazz, who have endured a difficult season, saw all five starters reach double figures, with two more scoring in double digits off the bench.
However, the team’s high turnover count proved costly, with rookies Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George combining for nine giveaways.
Collier, returning to Los Angeles after playing his collegiate season at USC, finished with a late scoring surge and recorded double-digit assists.
George added eight assists of his own, but their efforts were not enough to threaten the Lakers’ control of the game.
Post-match, Luka called his debut experience ‘special’ playing for the LA Lakers.
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With the loss, Utah dropped to 22-40 on the season, while the Lakers marked the start of the Doncic era with a convincing win.
