Bill Simmons may need a moment. The longtime NBA analyst and podcaster took to social media Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers continued their red-hot start to the season, and Luka Dončić delivered yet another superstar performance. Simmons’ reaction said what a lot of stunned NBA fans are thinking: “In 2025, the Lakers went from literally-about-to-break-down AD and the bumbling Buss kids to hitting-his-prime Luka and the savvy loaded Dodgers owner. Still coming to grips with this.”

It’s hard to blame him.

The Lakers improved to 13-4 after a 135-118 win over the LA Clippers, powered by a vintage-yet-new-era type performance from Dončić. The 26-year-old guard exploded for 43 points, 13 assists, and 9 rebounds, controlling the game from the opening tip and overwhelming a Clippers roster built to contend.

Dončić set the tone early, tying his season high with 32 first-half points, attacking switches, burying contested threes, and manipulating pick-and-roll coverage with surgical precision. The Clippers showed doubles, traps, and bodies in help, but none of it mattered.

But beyond the scoreboard, Dončić’s night carved him deeper into Lakers lore. With his performance, he notched his seventh 40-point game as a Laker, passing Magic Johnson for 10th on the franchise’s all-time list. He also tied Johnson for the sixth-most 40-point double-doubles in team history with six, and did it less than two months into his Lakers tenure.

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For years, the Lakers’ identity revolved around aging stars, questionable roster construction, and financial limitations. Now? They look like one of the most explosive, modernized offenses in basketball, with Dončić running the show and LeBron James providing leadership and timely scoring.

The Lakers have now won five straight, and the combination of momentum, star power, and high-level execution has analysts, including Simmons, reassessing the NBA hierarchy.

The league knew Luka Dončić joining the Lakers would change things.

No one expected it to happen this fast.