The Los Angeles Lakers have been rolling lately, picking up their eighth consecutive win on Thursday against the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center, as LeBron James and Luka Doncic combined for a dominant and historic performance.
Doncic exploded for a Lakers career-high 60 points on 18-of-30 shooting from the field. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, five steals, and nine three-pointers in 38 minutes of play. Meanwhile, James recorded a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on 8-of-12 shooting, leading the Lakers to a 134–126 victory.
The Lakers have now improved to 45–25 on the season, placing them third in the Western Conference. However, during tougher stretches of the season, a narrative has emerged suggesting that Los Angeles performs better without James on the floor.
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James dismissed the claim in a postgame press conference on Thursday night, calling it a clickbait tactic designed to attract attention.
"It sells papers a lot easier -- and clippings and podcasts -- if you say, 'LeBron, the team is better off without him.' A lot of people will try to like view it. So, I get it. ... They're absolutely wrong," James said, via Dave McMenamin.
Concerns about the fit between James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves have surfaced since the former Mavericks star’s arrival, as all three players operate as primary ball handlers. With James sidelined by injury at the start of the season, the Lakers performed well with Reaves and Doncic, and it took the veteran some time to adjust upon his return.
When the Lakers won three straight games in mid-March against the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves without James, with Doncic scoring 30 or more points in each game, those concerns resurfaced.
However, the narrative is largely based on a limited sample size, and the trio now appears to be working well together. Over the last two games, James has scored 49 points on 21-of-26 shooting. For the season, he is averaging 21.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 49 games while shooting 51.6 percent from the field, while the Lakers are 31–18 with him on the floor.
