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The combination of Luka Doncic and LeBron James was overpowering and enthralling for all to see during the Lakers’ dynamic 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Wednesday.
Doncic was a rebound shy of a triple-double with 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
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James was a force with 30 points, missing just one of his 14 shots and adding five rebounds and two assists.
They were the main reasons why the Lakers extended their winning streak to seven straight games and helped them take the three-game series over the Rockets, 2-1, winning both games here, one on Monday night.
The beauty of the night was when Doncic threw a no-look lob pass to James for a dunk and then when Doncic drilled a three-pointer with 58.4 seconds left for a 120-111 Lakers lead.
Doncic yelled at the crowd and ran down court shaking his head. When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.
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The Lakers now have a 1-½ game lead over Minnesota for the third seed in the Western Conference.
James was fouled by Jabari Smith Jr. on a break-away layup, forcing him down on the court and holding his right elbow.
Read more: Plaschke: ‘Yeaaaaaah!’ A child’s cheer inspires surging Lakers
James was awarded two free throws with 5:39 remaining, making one to tie the score at 105-105.
Doncic then took over when James went to the bench for a rest.
Doncic’s jumper gave the Lakers a two-point lead and later his pass to Rui Hachimura for a corner three-pointer gave the Lakers one-point lead after Amen Thompson had scored for the Rockets
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Doncic drilled a three-pointer for a 113-109 Lakers lead with 3:12 left.
James had a steal in the first quarter and then threw down a dunk with Alperen Segen chasing him, leading to James to stare at Segun as he ran back down court, drawing cheers from the fans in awe at witnessing the 23-year veteran still making highlight plays at 41.
Early in the second quarter, James gave the fans even more to cheer about, catching a high lob pass from Marcus Smart and throwing down a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/luka-doncic-40-points-lebron-042335534.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-19 04:23:00
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