Luka Doncic made a stunning return for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, dropping 44 points to lead his team to a 117-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Having missed the previous three games with a sprained finger and a leg contusion, Doncic rejoined the squad in Memphis after flying separately and wasted no time reminding everyone of his dominance.
His 44-point performance marked his third straight 40-point outing, following 43 against the Golden State Warriors and 49 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Slovenian star became only the second player in NBA history, after Wilt Chamberlain, to open a season with three consecutive 40-point games.
Chamberlain achieved the feat twice, with runs of seven and five games in the early 1960s.
“I mean, I feel great,” Doncic said. “But obviously, if we get a win, I feel even better. So that’s the whole point, trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it’s going to be scoring, sometimes other things.”
Doncic added 12 rebounds and six assists in another all-around display as the Lakers overturned a 15-point deficit to secure their first win in NBA Cup group play.
His early scoring set the tone once again, helping the Lakers find rhythm despite the absence of LeBron James.
Only Chamberlain, Doncic, and Michael Jordan have ever scored at least 125 points in the first three games of a season.
Doncic currently sits at 136, averaging an astonishing 45.3 points per game, the first Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to average 45 or more over a three-game stretch.
When asked about the possibility of averaging 40 points for an entire season, Doncic was realistic. “That’s going to be tough,” he said. “Sometimes they’re going to double me more.
“Sometimes I won’t be able to score that much. I had I think three or four shots that were crazy shots that I felt like doing, but they were terrible shots. I’ve got to work on that.”
Team-mate Austin Reaves, who carried the scoring load during Doncic’s absence, believes it’s possible. Doncic’s playful reply: “Austin’s stupid.”
Reaves, who averaged 40 points during Doncic’s three-game absence, struggled early on Friday but finished with 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting.
“His ability to get us off to hot starts is big for us because, if you come out and he has 15 in the first, we’re going to score 30,” Reaves said. “Unless everybody else is shooting bricks like I was tonight.”
Marcus Smart also impressed on his return from a quad injury, contributing 12 points, four assists, and two steals, while Jake LaRavia added 13 points and five rebounds against his former team.
Centre DeAndre Ayton managed nine first-half points before sitting out the second half due to back spasms. He later said he expected to be available for Sunday’s home clash with the Miami Heat.
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