‘Head-Hunting’: Luka Doncic Attacks LeBron James In Clutch

“Until you stomp me out, cut my head off and bury me 12-feet under, I still feel like I got a chance…"

Those were the colorful words of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James after he watched Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks walk away from Crypto.com Arena with a 109-104 victory. As hyperbolic as that statement might seem, James does have a point.

Doncic drives past James in the fourth quarter.

James backs down Doncic in the paint.

Doncic takes a three-point shot over James.

After coming back from a 21-point deficit against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, the script was nearly flipped in LA on Tuesday, as the Mavs were the ones who held a 21-point lead over James' Lakers and almost let it slip.

Being down 15 points at halftime, James turned back the clock in the third quarter, making some big defensive plays and hitting multiple high-difficulty threes which helped the Lakers win the period, 31-14. As the Lakers built their newfound lead to as much as six points in the fourth, it felt as if the Mavs had blown an excellent opportunity to capture another big road win... until Doncic went head-hunting for 'The King.'

For those keeping score at home, that was five-consecutive successful possessions for the Mavs were Doncic attacked James head-on — one floater, two impressive mid-range fadeaways and two ‘gravitational pull’ assists to Jalen Brunson and Dwight Powell.

The Lakers aren’t a good team, and the Mavs should’ve never let them get back in the game. But this is the NBA, and any team can win on any given night, especially if they have a motivated LeBron James.

James did his best to send the Mavs home with a disappointing, big lead-blowing loss, but Doncic decided to ‘stomp out’ his childhood idol, and it sure did make for some entertaining theater.