Certainly Luka Doncic did the one that doesn't count.
On a cold, fiery night in which the star guard made just one 3-pointer in 11 attempts, Doncic hit a 40-foot shot on a dead ball that drew a roar from the team. Crypto.com Arena.
Instead, he exerted his influence in other ways.
Doncic overcame poor shooting and still collected his first triple-double of the season with 29 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in the Lakers' game. 130-120 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday. Fellow Security Guard Austin Reeves also struggled with his shot, making just four of 14 three-point attempts, but finished with 26 points and 11 assists with just three turnovers.
Despite the fact that their stars worked simultaneously, weekends Lakers (5-2) is still shooting 50.5% from the field. They totaled 33 assists with 11 turnovers. They won their third game in a row.
“We've done a lot of really good things, and it could have been even better if Luca and I had taken a chance,” Reeves deadpanned. “But the supporting cast and everyone around them did a really good job.”
Forward Jake LaRaviawho turns 24 on Tuesday, scored in double figures for the third straight game off the bench with 25 points (two shy of his season high) and eight rebounds. He averaged 21.7 points per game over his last three games.
Doncic, who missed three games with minor finger and toe injuries, scored 40 points in each of his first three games this season. Only Wilt Chamberlain has ever started a season with three straight 40-point games. But Doncic was happy to sacrifice Sunday's scoring streak.
“We will win,” Doncic said.[it] It doesn’t matter how many I score.”
Doncic and Reaves battled in the first quarter, making a combined two of seven field goals. However, the Lakers still lead by seven, and the star duo combined for eight assists.
Center Jackson Hayes was one of the big beneficiaries of the period, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting. He made a furious one-handed dunk off a pass from Doncic that so inspired Hayes that he slammed his head into the basket in celebration. He hit his first 3-pointer since March 27, 2023, with a strong start that put the Lakers up 23-13 and forced the Heat to call an early timeout.
Hayes finished with 15 points and five rebounds in his first start of the year as Deandre Ayton was sidelined with back spasms. Ayton's back was sore during the Lakers' win in Memphis on Friday, forcing him to miss the entire second half. He was ready to return in the fourth quarter, coach JJ Redick said after the game, but with the Lakers starting Hayes and Jared Vanderbilt at center, the team didn't want to risk further injuries.
The Heat (3-3) finished the third quarter on a 20-7 run to get within four points heading into the fourth quarter. Former UCLA star Jaime Jaquez Jr., playing in front of his hometown crowd, cut the lead to two with a game-winning one-handed dunk with 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Lakers crowd fell silent.
But Reeves helped quell the comeback attempt.
He tripped while trying to dribble behind his feet but recovered to hit a mid-range jumper with 1.6 seconds left that put the Lakers up by six with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter. Less than 20 seconds later, Reeves fired a shot straight from midcourt to a soaring LaRavia, who brought the crowd to its feet with a two-handed dunk.
