Luka Doncic sheds rare nerves for 'surreal' Los Angeles Lakers debut

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Luka Doncic said he experienced a rare case of nerves before making his Los Angeles Lakers debut, but they quickly faded as the veteran guard scored 14 points in a win over the Utah Jazz.

Doncic made 5 of 14 attempts, including just 1 of 7 3-point shots, and logged five rebounds and four assists in the 132-113 triumph Monday in Los Angeles.

"I was a little bit nervous before," Doncic told reporters. "I don't remember the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court, it was fun.

"Just being out there again felt amazing."

Doncic, who joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade earlier this month from the Dallas Mavericks, hadn't played since Dec. 25 due to a calf injury.

The Slovenian talked to new teammate LeBron James on Monday morning and requested to be announced last during pregame player introductions -- an honor typically given to a team's star player.

He was confronted with a sea of yellow Doncic-backed Lakers jersey T-shirts, when the team gave out to the nearly 19,000 fans at Crypto.com Arena.

"It was special, the way they received me," Doncic said. "Everybody, it was amazing to see."

The five-time All-Star and All-NBA selection missed his first shot attempt, but sank his second -- a 27-foot 3-pointer -- for his first points as a Lakers player. He scored his previous 12,089 points over the last seven years for the Mavericks.

Doncic scored 11 points in the first half. He scored three points in about nine minutes of third-quarter action. He did not play in the fourth.

James totaled a game-high 24 points for the Lakers. He also chipped in eight assists and seven rebounds. Fellow Lakers forward Rui Hachimura scored 21 points. Lakers guard Austin Reaves totaled 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

"He sees the game a different way than a lot of people," Doncic said of James. "His IQ is insane. To have two guys like that on court I think is going to help the whole team out."

Lakers coach J.J. Redick said some of Doncic's passes were off target, but credited him for working to fit in with his teammates. The Lakers shot 54.3% from the floor and led by as many as 34 points in Monday's win.

"I thought he handled it really well and he played really well," Redick said. "He could not make a three, outside of the first one, but it goes back to all of our guys. They just played agenda-free basketball. He didn't make it about Luka. He made it about good basketball and playing Laker basketball,"

The Lakers (32-19) are on a six-game winning streak and sit in fourth place in the Western Conference standings. They will face the Jazz (12-40) again at 8 p.m. EST Wednesday in Salt Lake City.