“Luka Doncic targeted LeBron James on the switch and schooled him!”: NBA Twitter explodes as Mavericks superstar bests ‘The King’ on two straight possessions in Lakers loss

Samir Mehdi | 02/03/2022
“Luka Doncic targeted LeBron James on the switch and schooled him!”: NBA Twitter explodes as Mavericks superstar bests ‘The King’ on two straight possessions in Lakers loss

Luka Doncic called to get LeBron James switched onto him in the Lakers loss at home and scored both times on James. 

The comparisons between LeBron James and Luka Doncic began as soon as the Slovenian prospect took to NBA hardwood in his rookie season. Magic Johnson is another Lakers legend that Doncic gets compared to quite often, with his nickname quite literally being ‘Luka Magic’ due to his incredible passing sense. 

Over this past All-Star weekend, LeBron James dished on how much he loved Luka, even prompting Mavericks fans to believe he would possibly leave the Lakers for the Mavs in the future.

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“The way he plays the game reminds me of the way I play the game. We’re just triple threats. We rebound, we pass, which is the number one thing on my mind, trying to keep our teammates feeling good on the floor, keeping our teammates in rhythm. And we’ll put 40 on you too, when you disrespect us.” 

While LeBron James may be Doncic’s idol, he certainly didn’t show him any respect tonight as the Mavericks edged out the Lakers in a close one at Crypto. Com Arena. 

Luka Doncic asks for the switch to get LeBron James on him. 

Luka Doncic has quite the cajones on him to ask to get LeBron James switched onto him during clutch time between the Lakers and the Mavericks. Around the 4 minute mark in the 4th quarter, Doncic asked for Reggie Bullock to switch with him, to get James guarding him.

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On both possessions, Luka would out-duel James. In the first possession, Luka hit an incredibly difficult shot over the Lakers superstar, fading nearly out of bounds on the left baseline. The second possession would be Luka lobbing up a perfect pass to his usual roll-man, Dwight Powell, generating 4 points on 2 straight possessions. 

The Mavericks would go on to win this battle against the Lakers, 109-104, with Luka notching 25 points and 5 assists on the night. 

Post Edited By: Samir Mehdi
Lakers LeBron James Luka Doncic Mavericks

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Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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