FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Lakers Game Observations: Game 70 @ Heat

Man, at this point I don’t even know how to start.

I’ve been watching Luka Dončić play basketball for 10 years. More than 650 games across Real Madrid, the Slovenian national team, the Mavericks, and now the Lakers. Yet he still manages to surprise. To amaze. To exceed his own otherworldly standards.

Dončić, with immense help from his coach and teammates, has flipped one of the more depressing seasons into an incredibly fun stretch of basketball. And no matter how it ends, this run of watching greatness up close will make the season worthwhile.

Benjamin Royer
@thebenroyer
Austin Reaves on playing alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James every night:

“It’s fun to watch. I have one of the best seats to greatness every single night, and watching those guys do what they do.”
8:29 PM · Mar 19, 2026 · 1.29K Views
2 Reposts · 42 Likes

A 60-point game with another clutch takeover. A 40/10/9 night. An overtime game-winner against Denver. A 51-point game. 30-point triple-doubles. 44 against Indiana. Eight straight wins. Eleven of the last twelve.

It can’t get better than that. Or can it?

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko
Luka playing video game basketball atm. He needed an incredible late season run for him to get into MVP talks…but if this is not it, I dont know what it is.

Last 8, Lakers 8-0, Luka at 41/9/9, 42% from 3.
69% FG in 4th quarters, game winner, and countless huge clutch shots.

1:39 AM · Mar 20, 2026 · 3.92K Views
15 Replies · 35 Reposts · 275 Likes
digginbasketball is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Today’s notes:

Luka playing in NBA 2K takeover mode (VIDEO)

Dončić collecting receipts and making a serious late MVP push

Lakers show resilience, following LeBron’s lead

LeBron collecting triple-doubles on back-to-backs at 41 (VIDEO)

Defensive struggles and other concerns

1-Luka playing in NBA 2K takeover mode (VIDEO)

Last night looked like it might finally be the one, an off game for the Lakers and Dončić. They sleepwalked into it (more on that in the next points), and Dončić looked flat on his first couple of shots. Then you look up and he has a casual 12 after one, 21 at the half.

The real takeover came after the half. Dončić came out scorching, hitting three straight threes over Adebayo, scoring 19 in the quarter, adding three steals, and turning a six-point deficit into a nine-point lead.

But that third quarter run wasn’t even the best part. Dončić followed it with a 20-point fourth-quarter explosion in under eight minutes, including two dagger threes in the final two minutes.

Nate Duncan
@NateDuncanNBA
After Luka Doncic reentered the game with 7:35 remaining, the Lakers scored on 15 of 17 possessions for 28 points.
9:22 PM · Mar 19, 2026 · 15.4K Views
1 Reply · 54 Reposts · 805 Likes

Just another absurd shotmaking display, willing his team to another win. 60 points on the second night of a tough back-to-back against a top-six Heat defense. Of course, Dončić will also remind you of his five steals and just two turnovers.

Dončić’s third career 60-point performance, brought joy and admiration from his teammates, and MVP chants in an away arena.

2-Dončić collecting receipts and making a serious late MVP push
Speaking of MVP, Dončić’s recent play has made even his loudest critics eat their words and change their tune.

LakersGuru
@GuruLakers
Luka got Kendrick Perkins, Lou Williams and Boogie Cousins walking back takes tonight …premium belt lmao

8:46 PM · Mar 19, 2026 · 92K Views
52 Replies · 600 Reposts · 4.16K Likes

Now, I never took Kendrick Perkins, DeMarcus Cousins, or Lou Williams’ takes as serious analysis, but they have a voice and a platform, and were at the forefront of the criticism Dončić received, even during the month he won Player of the Month in January. Perkins also has an MVP vote.

Dončić is such a polarising figure that he seems to sit on the outskirts of both the American ex-hoopers and the advanced stats community, two groups that rarely agree on anything. This has been an awesome season, with several players, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama, all playing at an MVP level. I’m just glad Dončić (and your Substack writer) are putting up a late-season fight that will leave no regrets.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko

I think the under looked part of efficiency is efficiency of teammates shots. Luka takes and makes tough shots but creates the best quality looks for his teammates.

The gap between eFG% on passes by Luka(61.1%) & SGA (57.4%) is bigger than the gap in their shooting efficiency.

Andy Bailey @AndrewDBailey

If Luka Dončić keeps up his level of play from the last couple weeks over the rest of the season, and the Lakers finish in the mid-50s, his MVP argument is going to be strong.

There’s a significant efficiency gap between him and SGA, but I think he can make up for it with the
3:05 AM · Mar 20, 2026 · 7.08K Views
9 Replies · 57 Reposts · 286 Likes
3-Lakers show resilience, following LeBron’s lead

This was a game the Lakers were supposed to lose. A scheduled loss. Landing in Miami at 5 a.m. after a hard battle in Houston, then playing on the second night of a back-to-back against the fastest-paced team in the NBA.

The Lakers had every reason to punt this one and recover for the final 12-game push. But LeBron James said no, and when a 41-year-old leads by example, everyone else follows.

Benjamin Royer
@thebenroyer

Austin Reaves later: “I remember there was a timeout early and JJ came over and was like, ‘I know y’all are tired,’ and Bron was like, ‘I’m not tired.’ So I was like, ‘I’m not tired either.’ So yeah, follow the leader; that goes along with the belief that we’re talking about.”
Benjamin Royer @thebenroyer

Austin Reaves on playing Thursday: “When (LeBron) said he was playing, I was like, I can’t let a 41-year-old play and I not play, so signed up to play and so do did Luka and we went and grinded the win out. It’s not an easy one, especially with the pace that team plays at.”
8:38 PM · Mar 19, 2026 · 126K Views
21 Replies · 434 Reposts · 3.07K Likes

The Heat jumped on a still groggy Lakers team early, pushing the pace relentlessly, attacking every opportunity and every defender, scoring 42 in the first quarter and building a 13-point lead.

On any given night, the Heat are a very difficult matchup for the Lakers with their pace and style. That the Lakers managed to respond, flip the game, and win another high-scoring shootout says everything about the level Dončić and his teammates are playing at right now.

4-LeBron collecting triple-doubles on back-to-backs at 41 (VIDEO)

Dončić is rightfully getting most of the spotlight during this Lakers run. But as I said after the win in Houston, and it’s worth repeating, James taking a back seat and embracing the off-ball, connector role created the environment for Dončić to thrive.

James had another super efficient, ultimate connector game, putting up 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for a triple-double. And at his age, what he’s still capable of is just as impressive as the current Luka Magic.

I was among the skeptics of the Lakers’ star trio fit, given how duplicative and limited in some areas of the game they looked earlier in the season.

Source: Dave McMenamin post on X

Some doubts still remain, but James proving us wrong and thriving in his reworked role has lifted the team’s ceiling. How far? That will be answered in the playoffs, but it’s clearly much higher than it was a month ago.

5-Defensive struggles and other concerns

As good as Dončić and James were offensively, this game wasn’t pretty at all, especially on the defensive end, where the Lakers couldn’t stay in front of anyone who decided to drive and attack the paint. The Heat made an astounding 33 of 45 shots in the paint, or 73%.

Austin Reaves had a tough night defensively. Miami shot 9-of-10 with him as the closest defender, and Heat guards targeted him and scored on five straight scoring possessions against Reaves in the clutch. Reaves, like against the Rockets, and like most of his teammates outside of Dončić and James, struggled to generate quality offense against Erik Spoelstra’s mix of full-court pressure, hybrid matchup zones and other schemes. Deandre Ayton was largely a non-factor. Adebayo scored with ease in direct matchups against Ayton, finishing with 28 points. Unlike previous games, Ayton, who had 6 points and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes, never found his rhythm.

Then there is Luke Kennard. The sharpshooter scored just 11 points over his last five games, shooting 3-of-12 from three. However, more problematic than the shooting, which for any good shooter will regress to the mean, is his defense. He had a rough defensive game and has generally been a player opposing teams target—either directly by driving, punishing his lack of athleticism on closeouts and rotations, or, like the Rockets did, on the glass. Lineups with Kennard have produced strong offensive numbers, but he has by far the worst defensive on/off splits on the team. Even without making shots, his gravity creates space for Dončić and Reaves, but recent performances highlight why he can be difficult to keep in rotations for extended stretches, especially in the playoffs.

🚨 HISTORY FOR LUKA AND LEBRON 🚨Luka (60 PTS) and LeBron (19p/15r/10a) are the first teammates with a 60-point game and a triple-double since Wilt Chamberlain (66 PTS) and Elgin Baylor (23p/16r/13a) in 1969. https://t.co/YXw2hV6PZn pic.twitter.com/kuR7WWqBmk— NBA (@NBA) March 20, 2026

Shai gets teammates56% on their shots Luka get teammates to shot at64% so this is prime example that luka is mvp i giving my teammates th easier shots i put them in the best oportunity to score 8%better of what shai gives to rest of okc players also LD better D pts rbd ast pts— Alberto Bergmann macias (@BergmannMa64838) March 20, 2026

Stephen A Smith on Luka MVP chances:“I’m ashamed I haven’t brought up Luka for league MVP considerations sooner than this morning. That ends now. That gets corrected…. Luka Doncic in a Lakers uniform is a top candidate for league MVP”(Via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/kIXAWXTjKh— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 20, 2026

LUKA DONCIC IS NOW IN 2ND PLACE FOR MVP 𝐇𝐄’𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 pic.twitter.com/zparAQ5X5A— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 (@PurpGolded) March 20, 2026

The @Lakers owning tiebreakers gives them real breathing room at the 3-seed. Just to put in perspective: An 8–4 finish would mean these teams would have to finish with the record below to pass them🏀 @nuggets → 12–0 🏀 @Timberwolves → 11–1 🏀 @HoustonRockets → 13–1…— EricBMac (@TheEricBMac) March 20, 2026

Hey Bam Bam Sham A Lam, “No 83 pts for you!” Seinfeld reference, lol!

Luka with an absolute gem of a game.

It’s why you should write in Word and then copy and paste.

I can’t believe we really pulled off this 11-game sprint from hanging on as #6 to leapfrog all the way to #3 with tiebreakers over #4, #5, and #6.

LAKERS CAN WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON.

They won’t be favorites but they’re already the team nobody wants to play in first round. Watch the competition to avoid being #6 seed.