The Lakers narrowly beat the Spurs on Wednesday night, 118-116. Los Angeles nearly blew it in the final seconds thanks to a brutal Marcus Smart turnover in the final seconds that gave San Antonio a chance to tie the game at the line. But things worked out for the purple and gold thanks largely to a masterful Luka Dončić performance; the Slovenian superstar put up 35 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds with LeBron James and Austin Reaves both sidelined.
It was yet another stellar outing from the Lakers’ star. And with one move, he even managed to wow James from the sidelines.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Spurs were up on Los Angeles, 44-40. Dončić got the ball in the post with Spurs wing Julian Champagnie guarding him. Fellow defender Kelly Olynyk quickly rotated over to help Champagnie and double Dončić. However, Dončić didn’t hesitate and split right between the two players for an easy layup. It’s one of those moves that the average player would struggle to make, but Dončić does it easily and simply.
In video posted by X (formerly Twitter) user Lakers All Day Everyday, James was blown away by the sweet move and his look to Reaves says it all.
LeBron and AR were STUNNED by Luka’s move 🤣 pic.twitter.com/FUSpynjgNK
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 6, 2025
James, it’s fair to say, has been around the block. He’s spent 22 years playing professional basketball at the highest level. He has seen nearly all there is to see after playing in 1,562 regular season and 292 playoff games. He’s played with all-time great teammates like Dwyane Wade and Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Yet, even he can still be surprised by the wizardry of Dončić. Outstanding stuff.
It’s hard not to marvel at Dončić given the start he’s gotten off to. In five games so far this year for the Lakers (he missed a week with a few minor injuries), the superstar is averaging an even 40 points per game to go with 11.0 rebounds and 9.2 assists. It would be a career highlight for most NBA players to score 40 points once in a five-game span—Averaging those numbers is ridiculous. He’ll cool off eventually, but in the meantime, all we can do is sit and watch in absolute wonder.
Just like James, who has not been able to play alongside Dončić this season as he deals with a sciatica issue. His return is still a week or two away. In the meantime all we can hope for is more videos of him reacting to Dončić’s acts of greatness.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as New Video Shows LeBron James’s Live Reaction to Sweet Luka Dončić Move in Lakers-Spurs.
