Luka Doncic scores 53 as Lakers avenge loss to Trail Blazers
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The absurd 62-foot three-pointer Luka Doncic hoisted and made late in the second quarter Friday night seemed to ignite him, pushing him to even higher heights on the way to scoring 53 points.
Doncic especially went to work in the third quarter, scoring 20 points in that span in delivering the Lakers to a 124-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers had been down by 16 points in the second quarter, but after Doncic’s shot, they trailed by only seven and saw the momentum swing.
“Oh yeah, definitely. I think it changes the whole energy in the team and in the gym,” Doncic said. “I thought it was an important shot to make. So that’s why I decided to make it.”
It was the second time Doncic has scored 50 points or more this season, his first time coming when he scored 52 points against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 25. It was the fourth time Doncic has scored 50-plus points as a Laker, passing LeBron James and tying George Mikan for fourth in franchise regular-season history.
It was Doncic’s 11th 50-plus point game of his career, which moved him pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and tied him with Allen Iverson for the 10th most in NBA history.
Doncic played 38 minutes and nine seconds. He shot 17 for 33 from the field and five for 15 from three-point range.
At one point, while Doncic was talking to the media, he blurted out, “I’m tired.”
A few minutes later, he was asked how he has been holding up during his offensive onslaught and how far he can keep pushing this.
“Feeling great,” said Doncic, who was listed Saturday as questionable for Sunday’s game at Detroit because of lower back tightness. “But what do you mean how far?”
Can you do this every game?
“Oh yeah, I feel like that,” Doncic said. “But as long as we win, I’m good.”
Doncic is now averaging 40.1 points per game this season.
He was asked if he knew the last player to average 40 points per game in a single season.
“Kobe?”
No, it was not Kobe Bryant, Doncic was told.
It was Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.36 points per game during the 1961-62 season and then 44.83 points per game during the 1962-63 season.
“Man, it’s obviously a long season,” Doncic said. “We’re just 10 games in. We got 72 left. But as long as we win, I’m good. Got them up today, not gonna lie. Hopefully it continues, but you never know.”
Doncic added five rebounds and five assists to help the Lakers win their first NBA Cup game after losing the first one to the Golden State Warriors last week.
When the Lakers saw their 16-point lead sliced to four in the fourth quarter, naturally it was Doncic who saved them.
His 7-foot floater with 27.7 seconds remaining gave the Lakers a six-point lead that stood.
Now everyone knows why Doncic is shooting a career-best from three-point range and why he practices those long-range threes all the time.
After Walker Kessler got a defensive rebound with 4.3 seconds left in the second quarter, he passed the ball to Doncic, who had nowhere to go with the Portland defense around him. So, Doncic just tossed up the three-pointer from the three-point line on the Portland side of the court that banked in as time expired. He looked at the crowd as he walked off the court for halftime.
“When he shoots them, it’s not a surprise if it goes in,” said Austin Reaves, who had 25 points. “So, it’s not a high-percentage shot by any means, but he seems to make them a little, you know, easier than the majority of people.”
Etc.
Redick explained why both Bronny James and Cameron Carr were assigned to the Coachella Valley Lakers.
“[The] messaging was very simple,” Redick said. “It’s just you guys need reps and you guys need to play.”
Redick said James and Carr will be with the Lakers on the upcoming trip to Detroit, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Phoenix next week.
