4 hours ago
LeBron James praised the "generational" talent of teammate Luka Doncic after the Slovenian star hit an overtime winner, helping the Los Angeles Lakers come from behind to defeat the Denver Nuggets 127-125.
Doncic, 27, finished with 30 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds, marking his eighth triple-double of the season as the Lakers secured their fifth consecutive win.
The six-time NBA All-Star sank a step-back jump shot with just 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock to clinch the victory for his team.
"Just a big-time shot by a generational player," James said of Doncic.
"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 led the team with 32 points, Marcus Smart contributed 21 points and five steals, while James, 41, added 17 points in 40 minutes as the Lakers rose to third place in the Western Conference.
James also made a crucial full-length dive on the floor to prevent Denver from securing an offensive rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining — a play Lakers coach JJ Redick said he had never seen in James' 23-year professional career.
"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," James explained.
"So, that's just my little league coach kind of in my head at that moment, understanding the significance of it."
Lakers coach Redick expressed satisfaction with his team's overall performance.
"We still have got a long way to go, but we are certainly optimistic with how we handled this stretch of games," Redick said.
