Luka Doncic, with the eyes of five defenders fixed on him in the paint, faked a lob pass. He threatened to wrap a pass around Cleveland center Thomas Bryant’s back. Instead, the Lakers superstar pulled up straight over the top of Bryant’s outstretched arm, dropping a fadeaway jumper softly through the net.
Doncic smiled toward the Lakers’ bench as he backpedaled. He shrugged at himself.
Doncic brought back all his old tricks after serving a one-game suspension and capped his torrid March with 42 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and no turnovers in the Lakers’ 127-113 rout of the Cavaliers (47-29) on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Doncic, who was suspended for Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards because of technical foul accumulation, joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score 600 points in the month of March. He is one of just 10 players to score 600 points in a month.
“You can see he’s the MVP,” forward Rui Hachimura said.
Doncic, in the NBA most valuable player conversation with Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Denver’s Nikola Jokic, scoffed at the suggestion that he state his case for the coveted award.
He’ll let his numbers speak: A league-best 33.8 points per game, the only player averaging 30 points a game with more than 100 steals this season and the third-youngest player to reach 15,000 career points.
Doncic said he’s been simply “playing pretty good.” And, most importantly, the Lakers have been winning.
Lakers star Luka Doncic celebrates during the second half of a 127-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“If you don’t win, it doesn’t really mean anything,” Doncic said. “So the run we’ve been on, it means a lot, so we got to just keep playing that.”
The Lakers (50-26) reached 50 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Before tip-off, they clinched a playoff berth when the Phoenix Suns lost to the Orlando Magic, giving the Lakers their second consecutive Pacific Division title.
Entering March, the Lakers, who’ve won 13 of their last 14 games, were fighting to hold off the Suns for sixth in the West. After struggling against winning teams at the beginning of the season, the Lakers faced a daunting stretch of games that included Minnesota, Denver and Houston along with a six-game road trip.
The Lakers answered emphatically with an 8-2 record against teams with .500 records or better and by winning the tiebreakers against their closest Western Conference competition.
Lakers guard Bronny James, left, celebrates with his father and teammate LeBron James during the first half Tuesday against the Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“I think where our group has been really good, starting [March 6 against Indiana], was just really putting emphasis on building our playoff mentality,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before earning his 100th career coaching win Tuesday. “Understanding the importance of every game, every possession. Trying to find more consistency within the game and building those habits at a really high level.”
The Lakers’ 30-point loss to the Cavaliers on Jan. 28 was their worst of the season. Hachimura called Tuesday’s rematch “like a revenge game for us.”
The Lakers turned the game in the second quarter, outscoring Cleveland 33-19. Despite entering the game as questionable for the second time in as many nights, LeBron James had a thunderous one-handed dunk off a lob from Austin Reaves in transition with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter that put the Lakers up by 17. Reaves had 19 points as six Lakers scored in double figures.
Doncic lit the record books with his sizzling scoring, but his teammates also put up headline-worthy performances in March. James, who scored 14 points with six assists Tuesday, shot 56.2% from the field, his most efficient month of the season. He also passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most regular-season and playoff wins in NBA history.
During their magical month, the Lakers had a winning buzzer-beater from Luke Kennard, an expertly executed missed free throw from Reaves and a perfect 13-for-13 shooting night from centers Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes.
“Our team right now is the reason that we’re winning,” Redick said, emphasizing the second word. “Our team. Because each guy has contributed to winning.”
Even Doncic’s highlight play against the Cavaliers came through a team effort in the fourth quarter. Jake LaRavia, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, batted away an entry pass. Hayes scooped up the ball and tossed it up the court toward Doncic. He collected it just inside the three-point line, methodically shuffled his feet then jumped carefully before barely clearing the top of the rim on a two-handed dunk.
Doncic held both arms aloft in sarcastic celebration. The wide grins across the faces of every Lakers player were authentic.