Despite getting off to a slow start by his own standards Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings, the NBA’s leading scorer this season, Luka Doncic, would come alive and lead his team to victory.
Facing the injury-ridden and dysfunctional Kings, Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers would shake off a lackluster shooting performance in the first half. The Lakers also found themselves surfing the wave of yet another historic night from Doncic. And behind Doncic’s third consecutive 40-point game, the Lakers (7-2) stretched their winning streak to three following a 116-103 win.
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JJ Redick’s Luka Doncic Gameplan Is Paying Off
Nov 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Doncic (77) takes a jump shot against Sacramento Kings forward/guard De’andre Hunter (15) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
“He’s playing great right now,” Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick said about Doncic after his team’s third consecutive win.
“He’s doing a great job of just playing off the ball. We’re trying to set off-ball screens for him. Other guys are handling it, so I think some of that workload from bringing the ball up against pressure every single possession is just not there right now. And that’s very intentional on our part.”
Luka Took Over After a Lackluster First Quarter
Wednesday night didn’t start well for the Lakers in the first quarter, falling behind by eight points in the period before storming back to tie the game at 28-28 entering the second period behind Doncic’s 10 points. Doncic came alive in the second quarter, scoring 13 of his 23 first-half points in the period. That included a stretch of 11 straight points to lift the Lakers to a 61-54 advantage at the halftime intermission. Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled through a rough-shooting half after connecting on just 39.1 percent from the field, albeit with 38.5 percent from three-point range.
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“That was on me. I came out a little sloppy. I take responsibility for that,” Doncic admitted. “I know my first quarter wasn’t good, so I just came back in the game, tried to be more focused, so that’s what we had.”
Luka Continues to Cement Himself in NBA history
Doncic stayed on the attack in the second half and finished with 40 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block in the win, connecting on 11-of-23 shooting from the field and 6-for-13 from three-point range. It’s the third straight game that Doncic has reached the 40-point mark and the fifth time he’s done it this season. He now has the third-most 40-point games before turning 28 years old, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan in that category.
Prior to this season, the last player to score over 300 points in his first eight games played was Jordan with 303 during the 1988-89 season. However, Doncic now has the most points scored through eight games in 38 years with 308 points.
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“I’ve had some good stretches in my career,” a reflective Doncic said after the win. “Obviously, this could be one of the highest ones, but there’s still some work to do.”
Walker Kessler Is Loving Luka’s Historic Run
Doncic is the first player in NBA history to record six consecutive games with at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five 3-pointers. Doncic surpassed Damian Lillard to reach that feat Wednesday night and extend the longest streak in NBA history. And according to center Walker Kessler, the Lakers are riding the wave of Doncic’s historic stretch.
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“Yeah, you can call it a wave. You can call it a tsunami. You can call it whatever you want. I mean, he’s scoring the ball. And if you want to call it a wave, we’re surfing the wave a little bit when he’s making those shots. I mean, he’s incredible,” Kessler said after scoring 15 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and four blocks in the game.
The Last Word
The Lakers will now attempt to extend their winning streak to four Friday night against the No. 1 team in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers will try to avenge their first loss of the season, a 136-129 defeat at home to Portland back on Oct. 27. Doncic scored 41 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished nine assists in that first matchup, but it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, the Lakers will try to move to 1-1 in the Emirates NBA Cup Group C standings after a 112-95 loss to Golden State on Oct. 30.
Featured Image: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
