The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be building momentum ahead of the playoffs, extending their winning streak to three games with a 110–101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Once again, Luka Doncic was the driving force behind the performance.
The streak began with a blowout win over the Golden State Warriors on February 28, when Doncic recorded 26 points and eight assists. During that game, however, he was seen exchanging words with head coach JJ Redick after being called to the bench.
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After the tense exchange, Doncic appeared ready to follow Redick toward midcourt before center Jarred Vanderbilt stepped in to calm him down. In Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans, the Slovenian star seemed to playfully reference the moment again, joking on the bench and drawing laughter from Vanderbilt.
While Redick addressed the earlier exchange before the game and downplayed any tension, fans enjoyed seeing the lighthearted chemistry between Doncic and Vanderbilt.
"The type of chemistry that you like to see," one fan wrote.
"🤣🤣🤣 idk why this funny as hell," added another.
"Vando knew the assignment," a third highlighted.
"The only thing Luka commits to harder than step-back 3s is getting restrained by his own teammates. Free my guy Vando from this full-time babysitting gig," one fan posted.
"Luka dispelling every media criticism in one clip," argued another.
On the court, Doncic delivered again, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and one block while shooting 10-of-22 from the field and 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. LeBron James and Austin Reaves added 21 and 15 points, respectively, helping the Lakers stay out of the Play-In race.
With the win, Los Angeles improved to 37–24 and currently sits sixth in the Western Conference. The Lakers hold a two-game lead over the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns and can move into fifth place with a win Thursday against the Denver Nuggets, who are just one game ahead in the standings.