"Wait till Luka Doncic starts playing" - Lakers fans hyped after LA caps off strong Grammy trip by blowing out Clippers

The Luka Doncic-less LA Lakers handily dispatched the LA Clippers 122-97 during Tuesday's road matchup. The impressive showing furthered Lakers fans' excitement surrounding their team's ceiling once the newly acquired superstar guard makes his debut.

The Lakers stunned the NBA world over the weekend by acquiring Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade featuring the Utah Jazz. They gave up superstar big man Anthony Davis in the deal, leaving them shallow in the frontcourt. Meanwhile, Doncic joined the team sidelined with a left calf strain.

Nevertheless, the undermanned Lakers continued their strong play on Tuesday, leading the Clippers nearly wire-to-wire, with their advantage ballooning as high as 31 points.

James led the way, tallying a game-high 26 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals, shooting 61.5%. He was one of three Lakers to record 20-plus points, along with Austin Reaves (20) and Rui Hachimura (20).

The blowout victory marked the Lakers' (29-19) third straight as they finished 5-1 on their annual Grammy road trip. Afterward, their fan base was hyped on X/Twitter, with some expressing optimism about the squad's rest-of-season outlook.

"I've seen enough. ... CHAMPIONSHIP," @LakeShowYo said.

"IT'S GETTING SCARRYYYYYYY," @SpeakContext wrote.

Meanwhile, others displayed enthusiasm about the franchise's potential to reach the next level upon Doncic's debut.

"LFG. Wait till Luka starts playing," @Listogetsit said.

"Imagine if Luka played," @en_tashii wrote.

"And we added LUKA DONCIC to this squad????" @haladjianchris said.

"Can't wait for the Bron and Luka show," @TheKingRozay_ wrote.

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Luka Doncic could make Lakers debut during upcoming 3-game homestand

While Luka Doncic was forced to watch Tuesday's victory from the sideline, his Lakers debut appears to be on the horizon.

Per The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Doncic, who last played on Christmas Day, is expected to participate in a five-on-five practice on Wednesday. Meanwhile, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that the five-time All-Star is targeting a Saturday return against the Indiana Pacers.

"I can say this, there is optimism that Luka Doncic will be making his Lakers debut as soon as Saturday at home," Charania said on "The Pat McAfee Show" (timestamp: 1:19).

Saturday's contest marks the second of LA's upcoming three-game homestand. Thus, it appears likely the superstar will play his first game with his new team in front of the Lakers faithful.

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