Luka scores 60 points in March as Lakers achieve a 15-2 record.
LOS ANGELES — Following Luka Doncic’s impressive 42-point, 12-assist performance in the Lakers’ 127-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, Lakers coach JJ Redick offered significant commendation for his star player’s achievements throughout March.
“I believe Luka has had one of the best months anyone can recall in the modern NBA, at least since I’ve been involved,” Redick remarked.
This marked Doncic’s third consecutive game scoring over 40 points, bringing his total for March to 600 points—joining Michael Jordan in 1987 as the only other player to achieve this milestone in March, and one of just 10 players in history to score 600 points in any month.
As formidable as Doncic was, the Lakers were equally impressive, concluding the month with a 15-2 record.
“If you don’t win, it doesn’t really mean anything,” Doncic stated when questioned about his scoring achievements. “So the streak we’ve been on is significant.”
For Doncic, who surpassed 15,000 career points during the game, he significantly outperformed Cleveland’s star Donovan Mitchell—who recorded 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting along with six assists—delivering yet another MVP-caliber performance.
However, he once again chose not to advocate for himself regarding the award.
“I never did that [in the past],” Doncic noted. “I’m not the one voting … But I believe I’ve been playing quite well. We’ve been winning. So that’s all I have to say.”
The victory against the Cavaliers was significant for reasons beyond Doncic’s performance.
It marked the 1,229th win of LeBron James’ career—combining regular season and playoff victories—surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most wins by any player in NBA history.
Additionally, it was the 100th win of Redick’s coaching career, making him the first Lakers coach since Phil Jackson to lead the team to 50 wins in consecutive seasons.
“I don’t deserve to be mentioned alongside Phil or Pat [Riley] or any of those individuals,” Redick stated. “I still have much to achieve for sure. … I’ve maintained the same [coaching] staff for the most part over both years. I think we are just resilient and determined.”
They are nearing the conclusion of the regular season, having secured a playoff spot on Tuesday with six games left to play.
Two of those remaining games will be against the Oklahoma City Thunder, starting Thursday on the road.
Just as Cleveland defeated L.A. by 30 earlier in the season and this improved version of the Lakers sought retribution on Tuesday, the Lakers will have the opportunity to avenge two losses to the Thunder this season—one of which was by 29 points.
And while Doncic and the Lakers were on fire in March, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder posted a 14-1 record, with the reigning MVP averaging 30.7 points on 56.8% shooting and 6.6 assists for the month.
“Very exciting [matchup],” Lakers guard Austin Reaves commented. “Clearly, they’re the defending champions. Competing at a high level, they’re certainly one of the best teams in the league, if not the best. And we have a chance to go into OKC and compete against them.”
