LeBron James, Luka Doncic Partnership Impresses NBA Fans in Lakers' Win vs. Mavs

Luka Dončić's first game against his former team was a rousing success, as he put up a triple-double in the Los Angeles Lakers' 107-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

The five-time All-Star finished with 19 points, a season-high 15 rebounds and 12 assists in 35 minutes. It was his first triple-double since Dec. 15 against the Golden State Warriors.

While most of the attention was understandably focused on Dončić against the Mavs, LeBron James was the driving force behind Los Angeles' fourth quarter surge to get the win.

James, who played the entire fourth quarter, scored 16 of his 27 points in the final 12 minutes. He also grabbed 12 rebounds in the game.

Since Dončić's debut with the Lakers on Feb. 10, James is averaging 26.7 points on 55.4 percent shooting, 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in six games.

Any concerns that it might take the Lakers' superstar duo time to figure out how to navigate things given their ball-dominant styles of play has quickly dissipated. Now, fans are simply enjoying the ride of watching Dončić and James playing together.

On top of the obvious emotion from Dončić playing against the Mavs for the first time, the Lakers are continuing to look like a team that could be a viable threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs.

Los Angeles has won 15 of its last 19 games. The defense has held the Mavs and Denver Nuggets to a combined total of 199 points on 37.7 percent shooting (69-of-183).

When you combine this level of defensive effort with what Dončić and James can do on offense, the Lakers have more than enough upside to put together a long playoff run.

The Lakers will look to keep their positive momentum going on Thursday when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.