LeBron James praised the “generational” expertise of team-mate Luka Doncic after the Slovenian hit an overtime winner because the Los Angeles Lakers got here from behind to beat the Denver Nuggets 127-125.
Doncic, 27, completed with 30 factors, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season because the Lakers secured their fifth consecutive victory.
The six-time NBA all-star hit a step-back bounce shot with 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock handy his aspect the victory.
“Just a big-time shot by a generational player,” James mentioned of his team-mate.
“He’s just a big-time player, man. It’s going to be just the first of many game winners like that for him in a Lakers uniform.”
Austin Reaves hit a team-high 32 factors, Marcus Smart added 21 factors and 5 steals, whereas James, 41, contributed 17 factors in 40 minutes because the Lakers moved as much as third within the Western Conference.
James dived full size on the ground to stop Denver getting an offensive rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining – a play Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned he had by no means beforehand seen in James’ 23-year skilled profession.
“I think all of us have heard it from our coaches when we were little: the first man to the floor usually gets the ball,” mentioned James.
“So, that’s just my little league coach kind of in my head at that moment, understanding the significance of it.”
Lakers coach Redick was happy along with his aspect’s collective efficiency.
“We still have got a long way to go, but we are certainly optimistic with how we handled this stretch of games,” Redick mentioned.
