LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers grabbed an impressive 108-106 road win over Ace Bailey and the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Behind a combined 50 points from James and Doncic, the Lakers improved to 12-4 and moved up the Western Conference standings to sit in second place ahead of the Denver Nuggets.
James added six rebounds and eight assists while shooting an efficient 8-of-18 from the field to finish with 17 points. Doncic posted 33 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals, and Austin Reaves chipped in 22 points and 10 rebounds to give L.A. an offensive spark.
Bailey, the 2025 fifth overall pick out of Rutgers, finished with 10 points and five rebounds in the loss as Utah fell to 5-11.
Fans praised James and Doncic for their dominant dual performance that lifted the Lakers to the win.
The Lakers held a slim 62-55 lead at halftime, led by 15 points from Doncic and 10 from James. Bailey entered the break with five points.
The Lakers held an 11-point lead with 3:33 left in regulation before the Jazz outscored them 12-2, pulling within one point with 5.8 seconds remaining. After being sent to the line with a take foul, Doncic went 1-of-2 at the line to push the lead to two, and Los Angeles held on after Keyonte George’s potential game winner missed, sealing the victory.
Los Angeles will look to carry its momentum into Tuesday’s home matchup against its cross-town rival, the Los Angeles Clippers.
