How Luka Dončić dominated the Pacers in the first quarter

LOS ANGELES —  In the first leg of the Lakers’ back-to-back, they came out and were totally dominated by Denver. The Nuggets jumped out to an 11-0 run and never relinquished the lead.

For the second game, the Lakers flipped the script, beating the Pacers 128-117.

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They were able to cruise to victory despite playing without LeBron James, Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber, because Luka Dončić decided losing wasn’t an option.

Luka usually starts games strong. He leads the league in first-quarter points with 11.7 per game. Against the Pacers, he took his aggression to another level.

He started his offensive onslaught with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing. Later in the period, he converted again from the same spot.

Dončić was feeling it from deep, and the hot streak never ended in the first quarter. He went a perfect 5-5 from deep.

His final 3-point attempt during the opening period was, arguably, his most impressive. Luka waited until the shot clock wound down and then took a highly contested three from the very top of the key.

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While this is a bad shot for most, Luka made it look routine. The ball swished through the net, the crowd roared, and Dončić grinned, pointing to some fans courtside who were marveling at his greatness.

“I mean, some ridiculous shot making,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “And a lot of ridiculous shot making against really, really good defenders. I think he just really imposed his will and took control of the game early and gave us a cushion.”

Luka ended the frame with a whopping 22 points. This was the fifth time this season that he had at least 20 after 12 minutes of play. Considering that they were missing two starters, Austin Reaves was struggling and the Lakers were coming off a tough loss, every point on Friday night was necessary.

“I think when you see a guy like him, kind of getting into his spots, hitting his shots, it definitely just brings a different level to our group,” Luke Kennard said.

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While Luka’s offense constantly receives adulation, his defensive moments often go unnoticed. Against the Pacers,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/luka-don-dominated-pacers-first-082804119.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-07 08:28:00

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