Luka Doncic energises LeBron James as NBA homestretch begins
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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is excited to see what he can do with Luka Doncic on the court for the remainder of the NBA season.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – LeBron James is energised to play alongside new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Luka Doncic while in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hopes a National Basketball Association (NBA) title will secure his place among league legends as the regular-season home stretch begins.
The NBA returns from the All-Star break on Feb 19 (Feb 20, Singapore time) when the Lakers, led by James and Doncic, entertain the Charlotte Hornets in a game postponed from January by the California wildfires.
Los Angeles, fifth in the Western Conference at 32-20, made a deal with Dallas on Feb 2, trading forward Anthony Davis and others to obtain Slovenian guard Doncic, uniting the playmaker with 40-year-old legend James in hopes of making the Lakers title contenders.
“Just the excitement of being able to add a calibre player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it’s something that has given me energy,” James said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. We only had two games so far and I believe he has been on a minutes restriction since he came back from the calf (injury).
“As he continues to get in form, I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we’ll see what happens.”
Doncic’s two games for the Lakers so far were both against the Utah Jazz. He scored 14 points in a home victory over the Jazz on Feb 10 and 16 points in a road loss on Feb 12.
Meanwhile, James missed the NBA All-Star Game while resting a foot and ankle injury ahead of facing Charlotte and visiting Portland on Feb 20.
“With 30 games left and us trying to make a play-off push in the wild, wild west, I feel like it’s important for me to take care of myself and understand what’s coming on,” he added.
“I have to look out for myself when it comes to this injury that I’ve been dealing with for years. Hopefully I can play against Charlotte on Wednesday and Portland on Thursday. It’s a big stretch for us.”
Los Angeles have won 10 of their past 12 games, while Charlotte limped into the break on a three-game losing streak, while dropping nine of the last 10 contests and 11 of 13 going back to Jan 22.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the West and share the NBA’s best record with the Cleveland Cavaliers, at 44-10.
In the East, the Cavs are 5½ games ahead of reigning champions, the Boston Celtics, while the Thunder lead the Memphis Grizzlies by eight in the West.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA with 32.5 points a game. The 26-year-old Canadian also averages 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocked shots a game.
“We have an opportunity to win an NBA championship,” he said. “Now we’re going to have to earn it. We’re more than halfway through the season, but it’s a long road and we’ve just got to keep getting better through the road and hopefully where we want to be at the end of it.”
He has also accepted the growing attention brought by his exceptional play.
“I try to make sure I don’t let it affect the person I am, the player I am and the teammate I am,” he added.
“Doing so has helped me succeed on the court and us succeed as a team. I definitely notice it, embrace it, and try to make sure it doesn’t get in the way of things.”
For a start, Gilgeous-Alexander knows he will not be mentioned alongside contemporary greats such as James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry unless he leads an NBA championship team.
“That’s, at the end of the day, all that really matters,” he said. “If I don’t succeed in that in my career, I will have never accomplished what I wanted to.” AFP, REUTERS
