The Lakers And Lebron Are Clearly Reveling In What The Luka Trade Did For Their Title Hopes

The game hasn't gotten easy for the Los Angeles Lakers since the trade deadline. It just looks that way.

Consider this moment from Sunday night's win over the Clippers: Jaxson Hayes got a defensive rebound, handed the ball to Luka Doncic, who took one step forward and fired a 75-foot two-hand chest pass downcourt to LeBron James - who caught it in stride and capped the play with an easy layup.

Touchdown, Lakers. And Doncic and James have had a play like that in just about every game lately, or so it would seem.

A month or so has passed since The Trade - Doncic leaving the Dallas Mavericks and joining the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis - and the Lakers suddenly look like title contenders. They are a league-best 16-3 since Jan. 20 and went into Monday's games sitting in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference, a place they haven't reached since about the first week of the season.

"It's been great," Doncic said. "The atmosphere has been unbelievable, and we just want to give the people what they want, and that's winning the games. That's what we're doing right now."