Luka Dončić was in the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup Friday night, on his birthday, for a game against the crosstown rival L.A. Clippers.
Dončić and the Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-102 Thursday and secured a 106-102 win Friday. The Lakers are now 9-2 overall since Dončić was traded to Los Angeles (5-2 when he’s been in the starting lineup).
Dončić turned 26 years old on Friday and was considered a game-time decision coming into the game. He went through pregame warmups to see if he was comfortable competing in the second game of a back-to-back. He’s missed some games in recent weeks due to left calf injury management.
The Slovenian registered the sixth-most points by a player under the age of 26 in NBA history with 12,205. The five ahead of him are: LeBron James (16,081), Kevin Durant (14,851), Carmelo Anthony (12,711), Tracy McGrady (12,423) and Kobe Bryant (12,215).
Dončić’s 1,287 3-pointers is a league record for a player under age 26.
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Here’s how Dončić celebrated his birthday on the court:
Luka Doncic stats vs. Clippers
- Points: 31
- FG: 9-for-22
- 3PT: 3-for-9
- FT: 10-for-11
- Rebounds: 2
- Assists: 5
- Steals: 3
- Blocks: 0
- Turnovers: 6
- Fouls: 5
- Minutes played: 35
Lakers vs. Clippers highlights
Lakers’ next game
The Lakers will play the Clippers again on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET. The game is not scheduled to be on national TV.