LOS ANGELES — Following Luka Doncic’s impressive 42-point, 12-assist contribution in the Lakers’ 127-113 victory against the Cavaliers on Tuesday, head coach JJ Redick bestowed significant commendation upon his star player for his March showing.
“Luka’s month, in my view, stands as exceptional as any individual’s I recall in the contemporary NBA, at least throughout my involvement,” Redick commented.
This marked Doncic’s third consecutive 40-point outing, propelling his March point tally to 600 points — making him, alongside Michael Jordan in 1987, one of merely two players to achieve this feat in March, and just the tenth player overall to net 600 points within a single month.
Doncic’s commanding presence was mirrored by the Lakers’ impressive performance, as they concluded the month with a 15-2 win-loss record.
When questioned about his point-scoring surge, Doncic responded, “If you fail to secure victories, it is largely inconsequential. Hence, our current streak holds significant value.”
Doncic, who surpassed 15,000 career points during the contest and decisively outshone Cleveland’s star Donovan Mitchell — who registered 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting and six assists — delivered yet another Most Valuable Player-caliber display.
However, he again chose not to promote himself for the accolade.
“I never engaged in such actions [in the past],” Doncic stated. “I am not among the voters. … Nevertheless, I believe I’ve been performing quite well. Our team has been victorious. So, that is all. That concludes my statement.”
The victory against the Cavaliers proved significant for reasons beyond solely Doncic’s individual accomplishments.
This marked LeBron James’ 1,229th triumph (spanning regular season and playoffs) in his career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the highest number of victories by any individual in NBA history.
Furthermore, it represented Redick’s 100th victory during his tenure as coach, making him the first Lakers coach since Phil Jackson to lead the squad to achieve 50 wins in consecutive seasons.
“I am not worthy of being named alongside Phil or Pat [Riley] or any of those luminaries,” Redick remarked. “I have much more to achieve, undoubtedly. … I’ve retained largely consistent [coaching] personnel for both years. I believe simply that we demonstrate resilience and determination.”
And they are nearing the conclusion of the regular season, securing a postseason spot on Tuesday with six contests still to play. Among these six matchups, two are scheduled against the Oklahoma City Thunder, commencing Thursday away from home.
Mirroring Cleveland’s earlier 30-point defeat of Los Angeles during the season, and how this enhanced Lakers squad retaliated on Tuesday, they will possess an opportunity to compensate for their pair of defeats against the Thunder this season — one of which was by a margin of 29 points.
And despite the exceptional run by Doncic and the Lakers in March, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder posted a 14-1 record, with the current Most Valuable Player posting averages of 30.7 points on 56.8% shooting and 6.6 assists for the month.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves remarked, “An immensely thrilling [contest]. Obviously, they are the reigning champions. Performing at an elite standard, clearly among the league’s top teams, possibly even the premier squad. And we are presented with a chance to visit OKC and compete against them.”