Luka Doncic knew what was coming before it even arrived.
After the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers held on for a tense 118-116 home victory over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, Doncic was asked about his budding relationship with fellow Laker Austin Reaves.
Luka Doncic reveals Austin Reaves’ brutal 4-word message after Los Angeles Lakers win
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Luka Doncic had another big MVP game for the LakersCredit: getty
“I know you and Austin have some fun trash talk back and forth,” an ESPN interviewer said.
“What’s he going to tell you tonight?”
Doncic and Reaves continue friendly trash talk
Doncic had just scored a game-high 35 points while adding 13 assists, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks in another MVP-like performance.
But that didn’t mean that Reaves, who could sign a long-term deal with the Lakers, was going to let Doncic off easy.
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“Make my free throws,” said Doncic, revealing what he expected to hear from his friend and Lakers teammate after Los Angeles used a 30-20 fourth-quarter advantage to knock off Wemby’s Spurs.
Doncic was actually sharp from the line, hitting 13 of his 17 free-throw attempts.
But he was just 9 of 27 from the field.
Doncic added that he consistently gets pestered by Reaves to improve his game.
“He always (tells) me,” Doncic joked.
Fans loved seeing the back-and-forth between the new face of the Lakers and the 27-year-old Reaves, who went through pregame shootaround but missed the contest due to a lingering groin injury.
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Luka Doncic was ready for trash talk from Austin ReavesCredit: getty
talkSPORT reacts … Doncic is the real MVP
This is about more than Luka Doncic shedding a few pounds.
This is also why the Lakers are willing to move on from LeBron James.
Doncic is taking over the NBA like he was supposed to, and his 41.3 point scoring average is surreal.
With the Thunder, Rockets and Nuggets in the West, the Lakers must have a healthy James to dream of reaching the top.
But Luka Magic is playing the best basketball of his career without The King, and the Lakers keep winning tough games by following the lead of the NBA’s early season MVP.
Brian T. Smith, Senior US Reporter
Doncic carrying Lakers without LeBron
“This is too funny,” one fan tweeted.
“Luka’s postgame chat is always entertaining!” a second fan posted. “Love the banter with Reaves.”
“Bro looked happy tonight on the court,” a third fan wrote.
Doncic has been the best player in the NBA when he’s been on the court.
The 26-year-old from Slovenia is averaging a league-high 41.3 points along with 11.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 54.5 percent shooting from the field.
While James slowly makes his return to the court — the King of the NBA has yet to play a game this year but could soon start 5-on-5 practice — Doncic has carried the Lakers to a 7-2 record and second place in the Western Conference.
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18. Austin Reaves
Reaves is posting career highs in almost every category and his 31.1 scoring average is eye-popping.
His future in Los Angeles remains undetermined, and the 6-5 shooter holds a player option for 2026-27.
“Not even two weeks into the season, his free agency, people are already talking about it,” NBA insider Marc Stein exclusively told talkSPORT. “So he’s helped himself tremendously, there’s going to be offers and the Lakers are gonna have to deal with that.
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Can Doncic and Lakers win the West?
Oklahoma City’s surprising 121-119 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday also gave the Thunder (8-1) their first loss of the season, brining the Lakers closer to the peak of the West in the early season.
New Lakers big man Deandre Ayton added a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds vs the Spurs.
Wembanyama was held to 19 points and eight boards while only shooting 5-of-14 from the field, as the Spurs blew a 12-point lead.
James is set to miss Los Angeles’ upcoming five-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks.
“This thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“So we don’t have a target date. It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he’s kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
Which means that Doncic will have to keep playing like an MVP — and hit his free throws to keep Reaves happy.
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