LeBron James, Luka, Lakers Draw Finals Buzz from NBA Fans After Win vs. Clippers

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are starting to dream big again after the team continued its hot run with a 106-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

The Lakers have now won 15 of their last 18, and they're riding a five-game winning streak. At 37-21, they're only a game behind the Denver Nuggets for the second seed in the Western Conference.

LeBron James had 28 points and 13 rebounds against the Clippers, while Luka Dončić scored a game-high 31 points despite not shooting that well. He was 9-of-22 overall and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Luka didn't have a seamless transition to life in purple and gold. Between getting more games under his belt and shaking off the rust from his layoff due to a calf strain, the five-time All-Star is starting to find his footing.

One of the immediate reactions to the Dončić trade was that the Lakers might've taken a slight step backward in the short term in order to widen their championship window.

We're still a long way from hanging a 19th title banner in the rafters of Crypto.com Arena, but Friday was an illustration of how any team with LeBron and Luka is a serious threat in a seven-game series.

All of this optimism could prove to be laughable and misguided in a few months.

Los Angeles still has some glaring issues. Backing out of the trade for center Mark Williams meant a massive void at center remains. Depth is a concern, too, and now the team is without forward Rui Hachimura for at least a week while guard Austin Reaves is scheduled to have an MRI on his calf, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Still, it's hard to argue with the fact the Lakers' outlook is radically different compared to the sense of anxiety that permeated the fanbase prior to the Luka trade.