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| Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, left, and Dallas star Luka Doncic will meet again in the NBA's feature game among Friday's five Christmas contests. (Photo by=AFP/Ronald Martinez) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Talented 21-year-old Slovenian star Luka Doncic powers the Dallas Mavericks against LeBron James and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in Friday's feature matchup of five NBA Christmas contests.
Both players were contenders for the NBA Most Valuable Player award last season and figure to be back in the hunt again in the 2020-21 campaign. "It's exciting," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "It's a big game playing the champs and when Luka and LBJ match up it's always something special." James, who turns 36 on Wednesday, has been the face of the NBA for more than a decade, reaching 10 NBA Finals, winning four titles and taking four season MVP awards.
But Doncic has drawn rave reviews since being taken with the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He was the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year and became a versatile playmaker who averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists last season - a signal he could be the face of the NBA a decade from now.Friday's lineup also includes second-year star Zion Williamson and New Orleans at Miami, Golden State at Milwaukee, Brooklyn at Boston and the Los Angeles Clippers at Denver. The NBA announced on Thursday there were two COVID-19 positives from among 558 players tested since Dec 16.
