LeBron James returns, but it’s still the Luka DonÄić show as Lakers beat Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers got LeBron James back on Tuesday. For at least the first night, it didn’t change how they did business very much.

Behind 37 points and 10 assists from Luka DonÄić, the Lakers erased a double-digit deficit against the Utah Jazz in a 140-125 win. DonÄić is now averaging 34.6 points per game and has scored at least 35 points in seven of 11 games played this season.

James, making his season debut after missing the first 14 games with sciatica, finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 12 assists, 3 rebounds and a turnover.

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Austin Reaves also continued his star turn with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 14 rebounds. And Bronny James made a 3-pointer for good measure.

The absence of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer had loomed for a full month for the Lakers, but they still managed to carve out a 10-4 lead before James reached the court. Their game plan during that time was essentially giving DonÄić and Reaves the ball and having them go to work.

Combined, the DonÄić-Reaves pair averaged 62.7 points and 17.1 assists per game with James out of the picture. On Tuesday, they combined for 63 points and 11 assists, with James taking over some distribution duties from Reaves. The hope now will be that DonÄić’s ascension and Reaves’ breakout can continue while sharing the ball with James. Tuesday was certainly a good sign.

It wasn’t the quickest start for the Lakers, though. The Jazz jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and kept it for much of the first half. The Jazz couldn’t miss and James didn’t score until midway through the second quarter.

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Then DonÄić arrived in the second half. The Slovenian posted 19 points in the third quarter as the Utah offense went dry. A four-point halftime deficit was an 11-point lead when the fourth quarter started, and a 14-2 Los Angeles run effectively ended the game.

However, the Lakers kept their top trio in the game well after that, either so they could get some extra reps in together or to send a message at the expense of the Jazz, whose record fell to 5-9. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George led Utah with 31 points each.

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