Doncic and LeBron: the NBA’s worst nightmare

The Lakers' world has undergone a seismic shift in the past month—and it’s not even close. That’s how little time has passed since Luka Dončić was traded from the Mavericks to the City of Angels.

Yet, in that short span, everything has changed—both for the NBA as a whole and for the Lakers organization in particular. The situation today is unrecognizable from just four weeks ago, yet the reality is now undeniable. The entire basketball world has rubbed its eyes in disbelief, only to confirm that this trade has shaken the very foundations of the league.

The way it unfolded has even called into question the era of player empowerment. After all, if a superstar like Dončić can be blindsided by a trade, who is truly safe? That is the question reverberating across the league as the power dynamics of the NBA shift. Suddenly, basketball itself feels secondary to the cultural implications of this blockbuster move—one that many already consider the biggest trade in history. And it probably is. Let’s not kid ourselves.

Other teams can’t afford to deceive themselves either. They know the Lakers have gone from being a solid playoff team with a ceiling—essentially their identity over the past two seasons with Anthony Davis—to a squad without limits. No one truly knows how the partnership between Dončić and LeBron James will unfold.

Their first games together have flashed moments of brilliance alongside some growing pains, but those struggles have been overshadowed by the sheer magnitude of the situation. Even with the loss of interior presence in the trade—Davis and Max Christie departed—the Lakers have remained dominant in the paint.

Two key observations have emerged so far: First, their defense is elite, nearly impenetrable at times. Second, Dončić and LeBron, alongside Austin Reaves, form a historically gifted trio of passers, seamlessly attacking the interior while creating open three-point opportunities. That combination makes them a nightmare to defend.

The Lakers entered their matchup against the Timberwolves under ideal circumstances. The All-Star break provided Dončić much-needed time to regain form after an injury that had sidelined him since December 25, 2024—his final game with Dallas, though no one knew it at the time.

Meanwhile, the Lakers were riding high after a statement win over the Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena, where Dončić faced his former team for the first time. That night sparked endless conversation—not just because of the Lakers’ victory, but also due to Dončić’s warm embraces with his ex-teammates… except Jason Kidd. He later admitted it was an emotional night, but he responded in the best way possible: by recording his first triple-double as a Laker. LeBron, as always, delivered in the clutch, and the game became the most-watched of the regular season, drawing 2.5 million viewers.

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The battle against the Wolves was a game of contrasts. The Lakers stormed out to a commanding 33-17 lead by the end of the third quarter, at one point going up by 23. But instead of putting the game away, they eased up, allowing Minnesota to claw back into contention.

Their offensive struggles in the fourth quarter were glaring—they missed 14 of their first 17 shots—but, as usual, their superstars stepped up when it mattered. LeBron James led the charge with 33 points (11-of-21 shooting), 16 rebounds, and six assists. Dončić added 21 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, including a spectacular one-legged three-pointer just as the shot clock expired—a dagger that kept the Wolves at bay. Austin Reaves chipped in 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists, helping secure the Lakers’ 16th win in their last 20 games.

For Minnesota, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 23 points, while Anthony Edwards, ejected in the third quarter for protesting a call, finished with 18. (With 16 technical fouls this season, Edwards will now have to sit out the Wolves’ next game.)

In the end, nothing has changed from a month ago—except that everything has. The Lakers keep winning, leaving a trail of fallen opponents in their wake. That’s what happens when you have LeBron James. And Luka Dončić.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

28 Rui Hachimura
23 LeBron James
11 Jaxson Hayes
77 Luka Dončić
15 Austin Reaves
17 Dorian Finney-Smith
30 Jordan Goodwin
4 Dalton Knecht
27 Alex Len
20 Shake Milton
88 Markieff Morris
5 Cam Reddish
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
7 Gabe Vincent
9 Bronny James Jr.
55 Trey Jemison III
10 Christian Koloko

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
28 Rui Hachimura	18	5	3	1	2	2	0	0	0	0/0	1/2	1/4	0	0	0
23 LeBron James	37	33	17	5	12	6	4	1	1	7/10	7/12	4/9	0	1	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	22	10	7	4	3	0	0	1	1	4/6	3/5	0/0	0	3	0
77 Luka Dončić	35	21	13	2	11	5	3	0	0	8/12	5/11	1/9	0	2	0
15 Austin Reaves	38	23	6	3	3	5	4	2	0	11/12	3/5	2/5	0	3	0
17 Dorian Finney-Smith	30	3	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	1/4	0	4	0
30 Jordan Goodwin	12	7	1	0	1	1	1	2	0	0/0	2/3	1/2	0	1	0
4 Dalton Knecht	11	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/2	0/1	0/1	0	1	0
27 Alex Len	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
20 Shake Milton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
88 Markieff Morris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
5 Cam Reddish	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	13	5	2	0	2	1	0	0	0	0/2	1/1	1/2	0	2	0
7 Gabe Vincent	20	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2/2	1/1	0/5	0	1	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
55 Trey Jemison III	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Christian Koloko	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Minnesota Timberwolves

Stats

22 Jaylen Clark
3 Jaden McDaniels
11 Naz Reid
10 Mike Conley
5 Anthony Edwards
9 Nickeil Alexander-Walker
4 Rob Dillingham
0 Donte DiVincenzo
14 Jesse Edwards
55 Luka Garza
7 Joe Ingles
33 Leonard Miller
8 Josh Minott
13 Tristen Newton
0 Terrence Shannon Jr.
Bones Hyland

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
22 Jaylen Clark	16	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	1/2	0	5	0
3 Jaden McDaniels	37	15	8	2	6	1	0	2	0	2/3	5/13	1/5	0	5	0
11 Naz Reid	30	3	12	4	8	2	3	0	0	1/2	1/5	0/5	0	4	0
10 Mike Conley	25	10	1	1	0	4	0	2	1	2/2	1/1	2/4	0	2	0
5 Anthony Edwards	26	18	6	0	6	5	0	1	0	4/4	4/6	2/6	0	1	0
9 Nickeil Alexander-Walker	34	14	2	0	2	2	2	1	1	4/7	2/2	2/8	0	3	0
4 Rob Dillingham	11	4	1	1	0	2	2	1	0	0/0	2/3	0/2	0	2	0
0 Donte DiVincenzo	23	9	5	0	5	6	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	3/6	0	3	0
14 Jesse Edwards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
55 Luka Garza	5	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	1/2	0/0	0/0	0	1	0
7 Joe Ingles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
33 Leonard Miller	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
8 Josh Minott	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
13 Tristen Newton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Terrence Shannon Jr.	29	25	5	1	4	2	3	0	0	6/6	8/12	1/3	0	3	0
0 Bones Hyland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0