About Last Night in Fantasy Basketball: Luka Dončić makes his Lakers debut and much more

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The NBA (per usual) brought the drama! Luka Dončić’s first game in Lakers colors had fans buzzing while standout performances from DeMar DeRozan, Anthony Edwards and Steph Curry lit up the scoreboard. But it wasn’t all highlights — key injuries to a couple of players could shake up fantasy lineups, so let’s unpack the main storylines from last night in the Association.

Luka Doncic’s Lakers debut

The Luka Dončić era in Los Angeles is finally underway! Wearing purple and gold for the first time, Dončić played 23 minutes, finishing with 14 points (5-for-14 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a lone turnover. The Jazz were blown out in considerable fashion, losing 132-113.

Fantasy Takeaway

Dončić was rusty, shooting just 1-for-7 on 3s, but he did have a handful of signature lobs and impressive passes, giving a glimpse of how good he and LeBron can be. Dončić had a minutes cap of 30 minutes, but he didn’t play the entire fourth quarter with the game out of reach. It’ll be a cheat code for JJ Redick to be able to stagger LeBron and Luka’s minutes, leaving an elite scoring facilitator on the court at all times.

Still, we can expect they’ll play plenty together, so they’ll both be able to generate a high volume of counting stats. Austin Reaves had another exceptional game, and with so much attention going to LeBron and Luka, Reaves will continue to thrive as a third-scoring option for the Lakers. Also, Jaxson Hayes is about to become the new Daniel Gafford.

Deandre Ayton leaves early with injury

The Blazers were dealt a significant blow when center Deandre Ayton left the game against the Nuggets with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. He had to be helped to the locker room and the Mavs ruled him out for the remainder of the game. Ayton’s night ended after 19 minutes, scoring 10 points (5-9 FG) with one block.

Fantasy Takeaway

Like my man D-Mac said, pick up Donovon Clingan expeditiously. In relief of Ayton, Clingan put up a career-high 21 points (8-8 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-4 FT) with 7 rebounds and a block. Granted, this was another blowout, but with no clear timeline or update on the severity of…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/about-last-night-in-fantasy-basketball-luka-doncic-makes-his-lakers-debut-and-much-more-195326353.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-11 19:53:00

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