Lakers Star: Doncic breaks scoring records

Luka Doncic scored a career-high 53 points on Friday.

The Los Angeles Lakers used that performance to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 at Crypto.com Arena. The win extended Doncic's season scoring average to 40.1 points over nine appearances. He now leads the NBA in scoring, field goal attempts, three-point attempts, and free throw attempts. He also ranks first in usage rate, player efficiency rating, and win shares.

Doncic has scored 361 points in his first nine games this season. ESPN Research notes that only Wilt Chamberlain has surpassed that total in an opening stretch. Chamberlain scored 472 points through nine games in 1962-63 and 455 in 1961-62. No player has finished a season averaging at least 40 points since Chamberlain in 1962-63. Michael Jordan's 37.1 average in 1986-87 remains the highest in the three-point era. James Harden's 36.1 average in 2018-19 leads the 21st century. Kobe Bryant's 35.4 average is the best for the Lakers since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976.

Doncic's previous career best was a 33.9 average with the Dallas Mavericks in 2023-24. He became the Lakers' central figure after LeBron James moved to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. The 27-year-old acknowledged the high volume of shots he took against Portland. He noted that the Lakers have played 10 games with 72 still remaining on the schedule. "As long as we're winning, I'm good," Doncic said.

The game featured a 62-foot shot at the halftime buzzer that helped fuel the Lakers' comeback. It marked Doncic's sixth game above 40 points this season and his second above 50. He has 11 career games with at least 50 points, tying him for 10th on the all-time list. Among active players, he is fifth behind Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and James. Reaching 40 points for a fourth straight game puts him in company with Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and George Mikan as the only Lakers to achieve that streak.

Lakers coach JJ Redick described Doncic's abilities as shared by very few players, if any. Portland coach Micah Nori offered his own assessment before the tipoff. He called Doncic "the MVP right now" and added, "Hands down."