NBA superstar Luka Dončić returned to the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers after missing two games to be with his fiancée. Dončić and his fiancée welcomed their second child, a girl.
Dončić now has two girls.
“I mean it’s just the best thing in the world,” Luka Dončić said after the Lakers beat the Sixers. “Obviously two girls, they’re going to make my life hell for sure. I know that. I’m going to be their security after I retire, but all jokes aside, it’s the best thing in the world and I’m just blessed.”
Dončić was up to his usual tricks against the Sixers, as the former Dallas Mavericks star put up 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in 39 minutes while shooting 9-of-24 from the field, 2-of-9 from 3 and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line.
However, Dončić didn’t close out the Lakers-Sixers game. That title belonged to the one and only LeBron James, who scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter.
“I mean, that was amazing,” Luka Dončić said. “That was vintage Bron. We’re happy he was there to save us.”
James finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists against the Sixers in 34 minutes. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who failed to score 10 points in a game for the first time since 2007 against the Toronto Raptors, shot 12-of-17 overall, 4-of-6 from 3 and 1-of-2 from the foul line.
“At 40 years old, I mean, it just takes a while for my body to kind of get back into a rhythm,” LeBron James said. “And so it felt good tonight to kind of feel like myself a little bit. I felt like the opportunity kind of presented itself. I felt like my two heavy hitters kind of didn’t have it or needed a little kick, and I tried to punch in from there.”
James, 40, is dealing with left foot joint arthritis on top of sciatica on his right side. The future Hall of Famer missed the first 14 games of the season.
A four-time champion, James turns 41 on December 30. He’s the oldest active player in the NBA.
The Lakers are 17-6 on the season and 6-1 with James in the lineup. Dončić is averaging 35.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game for the Purple and Gold, while James is averaging 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.