It's never too late to make history in the NBA, which we'll touch on today with the latest edition of The Morning Dunk covering the league's best news, highlights, and betting odds.
LeBron, Lakers Mount Epic Comeback
Don't call it a comeback, he's been here for years.
In his 21st season, at the young age of 39, LeBron James propelled the greatest comeback of his GOAT-caliber basketball career as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 21-point deficit on Wednesday.
James outscored the Los Angeles Clippers by himself in the final 12 minutes, 19-16, to lead the Lakers to a shocking 116-112 victory at Crypto.com Arena. He scored or assisted on 11 of the Lakers' final 13 shots in the frame.
With 11:45 left in the 4Q, the Lakers trailed 98-77.
— NBA (@NBA) February 29, 2024
Then LeBron TOOK OVER, scoring 19 in the quarter, including 5 triples, to lead the Lakers all the way back ‼️
Watch the takeover and the final minutes of the Lakers' comeback W 🍿 pic.twitter.com/rFS7WKroZZ
James finished with a game-high 34 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds to take down a Clippers squad that was without the services of Paul George and Ivica Zubac.
The Lakers had dropped seven in a row SU when serving as the road team when facing the Clippers. They remain the ninth seed in the Western Conference with a 32-28 record SU.
Luka Notches Birthday Triple-Double
Luka Doncic has grown accustomed to putting up monster numbers for the Dallas Mavericks, yet perhaps it's a touch more special when doing so after blowing out birthday candles.
Turning 25 years old on Wednesday, Doncic went into Scotiabank Arena and recorded a line of 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists as Dallas prevailed 136-125 over the Toronto Raptors, ending Toronto's three-game winning streak SU.
It was Doncic's 39th 30-point triple-double of his young career, moving him past LeBron James for the third-most ever behind Oscar Robertson (106) and Russell Westbrook (48).
What a night for Luka Doncic on his 25th birthday!
— NBA (@NBA) February 29, 2024
💫 30 PTS
💫 11 REB
💫 16 AST
His 39th 30-point triple-double.... now the 3rd-most such games in NBA history 👏 pic.twitter.com/5qbhOo8D2M
Dallas improved to 8-2 against the spread over its last 10 outings after entering Wednesday as the 3.5-point favorites against the Raptors.
Bulls Survive 2OT Thriller
It took an extra ten minutes of basketball, but the Chicago Bulls got the job done.
Just one night after falling to the 9-49 Detroit Pistons, Chicago mustered up the energy to topple the second-best team in the East by knocking off the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-123 in double overtime at the United Center.
The Bulls grabbed an NBA-high 74 rebounds in this matchup, with 26 of those boards falling into the hands of Andre Drummond.
Andre Drummond on tonight’s 74-rebound performance by the Bulls: “The math is very simple. You got two guys that are very good at rebounding. One of them historically being the best to ever do it — and the other one is right behind me.”
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) February 29, 2024
Drummond had 26 rebounds on his own. pic.twitter.com/8TLfWTWEJY
Wednesday marked just the second time in six games that Chicago has covered the spread on its home court, while the Cavaliers find themselves in the midst of a seven-game losing streak ATS.
