LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Luka Dončić

was in the

Los Angeles Lakers‘ starting lineup Friday night, on his birthday, for a game against the crosstown rival L.A. Clippers.

Dončić and the Lakers beat the

Minnesota Timberwolves

111-102 Thursday and secured a 106-102 win Friday. The Lakers are now 9-2 overall since Dončić was traded to Los Angeles (5-2 when he’s been in the starting lineup).

Dončić turned 26 years old on Friday and was considered a game-time decision coming into the game. He went through pregame warmups to see if he was comfortable competing in the second game of a back-to-back. He’s missed some games in recent weeks due to left calf injury management.

The Slovenian registered the sixth-most points by a player under the age of 26 in NBA history with 12,205. The five ahead of him are: LeBron James (16,081), Kevin Durant (14,851), Carmelo Anthony (12,711), Tracy McGrady (12,423) and Kobe Bryant (12,215).

Dončić’s 1,287 3-pointers is a league record for a player under age 26.

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Here’s how Dončić celebrated his birthday on the court:

Luka Doncic stats vs. Clippers

• Points:
•  31
• FG:
•  9-for-22
• 3PT
• : 3-for-9
• FT
• : 10-for-11
• Rebounds: 2
• Assists: 5
• Steals: 3
• Blocks: 0
• Turnovers: 6
• Fouls: 5
• Minutes played: 35

Lakers vs. Clippers highlights

Lakers’ next game

The Lakers will play the Clippers again on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET. The game is not scheduled to be on national TV.