LOS ANGELES – Portland Trail Blazers head coach Micah Nori had the utmost praise for Luka Dončić when he spoke with reporters at Crypto.com Arena on Friday afternoon, saying the Slovenian superstar “can do anything in the world.”
Dončić proved his opponent’s point in the closing seconds of the first half when he launched a 62-footer from the top of the opposite key. The crowd held their breath with what felt more like anticipation than anxiety as the ball floated high in the air before coming back down and banking into the net for yet another unreal buzzer-beater.
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What made the shot even more notable, perhaps, was that the Lakers had collectively struggled shooting the ball up to that point, starting 0-for-15 from 3-point range and falling behind by as many as 16. Dončić’s shot at the end of the half was just LA’s fourth make from deep in 23 attempts; it also sent the Lakers into the locker room having cut the Portland lead to just seven points.
But what ensued from there was the real Luka Magic.
The Lakers dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Trail Blazers 34-15 in the frame behind 20 points from Dončić, who has now dropped at least 40 in four consecutive games, joining Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan as the only players in franchise history to do so. Dončić finished the night with 52 points, five rebounds and five assists.
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The 27-year old has completely kicked in the door and is dominating the early MVP conversation amid this historic hot streak.
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Signature shoes, rare colorways and player exclusives help NBA stars stand out this season. Take a look at some of the coolest sneakers being worn around the league.
A close up of the Li-Ning sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
1 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Signature shoes, rare colorways and player exclusives help NBA stars stand out this season. Take a look at some of the coolest sneakers being worn around the league.
A close up of the Li-Ning sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A close up of the Nike sneakers worn by Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of of the shoes worn by Jaylen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of shoes on guard Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of LeBron James’ of the Philadelphia 76ers shoes during the first quarter of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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A detailed view of the basketball shoes of Trae Young of the Washington Wizards against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at Capital One Arena on October 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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The shoes of Yang Hansen of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
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The shoes of Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns are seen during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
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The shoes of Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
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Detail of the Skechers sneakers worn by Julius Randle of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on October 21, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of the shoes of Keaton Wagler of the Los Angeles Clippers before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on October 21, 2026 in Inglewood, California.
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks shoes prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks shoes prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers shoes during the third quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2026 in New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
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Shoes worn by Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on October 20, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoes during the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2026 in New York City.
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A close up of the sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A close up of the sneakers worn by Yaxel Lendeborg of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A close up of the sneakers worn by Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoes during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of the KD19 shoes worn by Quadir Copeland of the Houston Rockets during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of the shoes of Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on October 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
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Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons shoes during a pre season game against the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena on October 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
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A view of the shoes worn by Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers during Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day at Rocket Arena on September 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio.
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A detailed view of Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets shoes as he poses for a photo during the Houston Rockets Media Day at Hilton Americas-Houston on September 22, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
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Dončić currently leads Lorenzo Reyes’ NBA MVP rankings, and a performance like the one on Friday only furthers the hold Dončić has on the top spot. Just listen to the multiple “M-V-P” chants that echoed through the building fat various points in the night.
Not that MVP discussions have much meaning at all 10 games into an 82-game season. Head coach JJ Redick himself said pregame he doesn’t get into those talks until they’re at least 50 games in. But the level Dončić has been playing at makes it hard not to at least acknowledge it.
The Lakers look like the real deal early on. Their chemistry is off the charts; that much was on full display with their 17 total assists on Friday, or in Walker Kessler’s 16-point, 12-rebound night, or Austin Reaves’ 25 points.
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But Dončić has been the engine behind it all. He’s playing like the best player in the NBA, and the team is that much better because of it.
