There’s a strange phenomenon at play here: Monday night brings a sight we never thought possible, but also one we’ve been fervorously anticipating. After a week of waiting, Luka Dončić — the perennial MVP candidate and intercontinental superstar, the five-time First-Team All-NBA 25-year-old — takes the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. hosts the flailing and tuneless Utah Jazz. The opponent is all but a formality here.
How to watch Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers
Dončić has been out since Christmas as he recovers from a calf injury. Since then, he unassumingly became the nexus of a media cycle that bordered on surreal. Monday was set up as a (relatively) quiet way to debut on the Lakers’ regional broadcast, but ESPN inevitably slid in to grab this one. In-market fans can still watch on Spectrum SportsNet.
Los Angeles begins All-Star week with a home-and-home miniseries against Utah. The Lakers’ offense is efficient, up to sixth in team shooting percentage and first in free throw rate. They hit Monday winners of five straight, 9-1 in their last 10 games. Thursday’s win over the Warriors starred a transcendent LeBron James, who scored 42 points at 40 years old. Saturday’s defeat of the Pacers was paced by Austin Reaves, who glided into franchise iconography with a 45/7/7 performance only matched by James, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
Adding to the intrigue here is news that Anthony Davis will miss multiple weeks in Dallas with an abductor strain. He was playing spirited ball in his Mavericks debut before going down in Saturday’s third quarter. All injuries suck, but the precise timing of this one feels Kafkaesque for Dončić’s former employer.
At 31-19, J.J. Redick’s squad is fifth in the conference standings and within reach of the No. 2 seed. The Jazz are 12-29, the third-worst mark in the NBA. Utah will be back home for nine in a row after this.
Dončić’s foundation announced a donation to L.A. wildfire recovery efforts. The Lakers will have fluorescent-yellow No. 77 jerseys on every seat. Monday figures to be one of the most-watched February games in league history.
LADE EXCLUSIVE: It looks like the Lakers are giving away Luka shirts to everyone in attendance tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/C5KDtRy079
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) February 10, 2025
Starting five of players to wear both jerseys (min. 50 games with each franchise):
- G — Derek Fisher
- G — Jordan Clarkson
- F — Gail Goodrich
- F — Adrian Dantley
- C — Carlos Boozer
Other superstar debuts in purple and gold:
LeBron James had 26/12/6 but was plagued by turnovers in a 2018 loss at Portland.
Anthony Davis put up 25/9/5 in the 2019 season-opener. It was also an L.A. debut for Kawhi Leonard, whose Clippers pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Pau Gasol shot 10-for-15 and stuffed the stat sheet in a February 2008 win over the Nets. Like Dončić, the Spanish big man arrived midseason through a stunning trade. His Lakers went on to the Finals, where they lost to the Celtics in six games.
Shaquille O’Neal was 8-for-10 and hauled in 14 rebounds to open 1996-97. Los Angeles beat Kevin Johnson’s Suns by 15.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went off in his first Laker game in 1975: 27 points, 20 boards, five assists and four blocks. He left Madison Square Garden with a three-point victory.
Lakers-Jazz odds
(Photo of Luka Dončić: Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images)
