Lakers' Luka Doncic drops insane cross-court dime to LeBron James

Yesterday at 09:26 PM

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and the return of LeBron James from a groin injury could not have come at a better time. While the Lakers got blown out in James’ first game back over the weekend, the Purple and Gold go again on Monday night, this time looking to get back to winning ways in a road game against the Orlando Magic.

While the game hasn’t gone as smoothly for the Lakers as they would like, seeing James grow in his connection with new star man Luka Doncic remains an incredible sight not just for fans of the Purple and Gold, but also for everyone who follows the game of basketball religiously. And on Monday, Doncic found James leaking out in transition yet again and delivered a pinpoint crosscourt dime — with James having to score over Franz Wagner with a tough left-handed finish.

Another day, another Luka Doncic to LeBron James DIME pic.twitter.com/CMz5HN7DMY

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 25, 2025

Lakers fans have grown accustomed over the years to seeing the team’s stars connect on such a play; but this time, with Doncic now on the roster, there’s a bit of a role reversal in James’ involvement. Before, it was typically James who hauled in the rebound and launched it to former running mate Anthony Davis in transition, with Davis having sealed off his man for an easy bucket.

What makes James’ life so much easier in the aftermath of the Doncic trade is that he no longer has to shoulder the bulk of the playmaking and dribbling duties, allowing him to devote more of his energy to moving off the ball and playing defense. While the Lakers have encountered their fair share of ups and downs since the Doncic trade, one thing’s for sure: no one in the organization would want to change a single thing.

Lakers get plagued by defensive lethargy on Monday night

When the Lakers started to ascend in the West standings in late January and early February, they hung their collective hat on defense. Their defense was on a string, and their communication was excellent, making up for their lack of size in the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade.

But on Monday night, the Lakers allowed plenty of dribble penetration and they were caught cross-matched on plenty of occasions, forcing them to fight an uphill battle in the second half of their eventual 118-106 loss to a Magic team that hasn’t won at home in over a month.

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