Luka Doncic keeps turning every Lakers game into a scoring showcase, and Friday night against Portland gives him another chance to stretch one of the NBA’s hottest early-season runs.
Doncic has now put up at least 40 points in three straight games, averaging 42.3 over that span. Los Angeles has won all three, a clear sign that his scoring binge is doing more than filling up a box score - it’s driving wins.
The bigger picture around Doncic has been just as eye-catching. He’s strung together six straight games with at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists and five made 3-pointers, a line that shows just how complete his game has been. He enters Friday leading the NBA with 38.5 points per game.
That kind of production has helped the Lakers steady themselves after an uneven start, and they’ll try to make it four wins in a row when they host Portland.
The Trail Blazers arrive with some momentum of their own. They’ve won three straight, capped by a 132-119 victory over Phoenix. Damian Lillard scored 25 points in that one and has given Portland a needed offensive lift since returning from an Achilles injury that cost him last season.
Portland has also gotten useful contributions from Donovan Clingan and Deni Avdija. The Blazers have had to work through injury issues as well, including the absence of Ja Morant and a fractured ankle suffered by Vit Krejci, but they’ve kept finding ways to win.
They also already have a win over the Lakers this season, beating them 136-129 on Oct. 27. That result gives Friday’s matchup a little extra edge, especially for a Los Angeles team that allowed 136 points in that meeting and knows it has to be better on defense.
The Lakers’ challenge is straightforward: keep Doncic rolling, but also get enough from the rest of the roster to handle a Portland team that can score from multiple spots. Doncic can bend a game with tough shot-making and playmaking, but Los Angeles will need a fuller effort if it wants to protect its winning streak.
Friday is another test, and another chance for Doncic to keep doing what he’s been doing best: piling up points and dragging the Lakers forward with him.
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Lakers Face One Big Rotation Question With First Place At Stake
The Lakers head into a Western Conference matchup with Portland carrying a familiar mix of availability concerns, and this one carries more than the usual regular-season weight because first place is on the line. Los Angeles is already down Cameron Carr and Bronny James, while the Trail Blazers arrive shorthanded too, with Ja Morant, Shaedon Sharpe, John Tonje and Vit Krejci all unavailable.
The rotation picture gets a little more complicated from there, with one Lakers big man still in question and another important frontcourt piece on track to suit up after a recent hand scare. For a team trying to keep its footing in the standings, the final call on the front line could shape not just the matchup with Portland, but the broader race at the top of the West. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Are Reshaping The Offense To Make Life Easier For Luka
The Lakers have been adjusting the way they start possessions, with JJ Redick saying the idea is to let other players handle the early work so Luka Doncic does not have to carry the full burden of bringing the ball up and organizing everything himself. The plan is built around teammates advancing the ball and setting screens to help create cleaner entry points for Doncic, giving him a chance to get into the action with more space and less immediate pressure.
It is the kind of structural tweak that can matter over the course of a season, especially for a player who draws so much attention the moment he crosses half court. Redick said the approach was already in place before the season, which suggests this is not a quick fix so much as a deliberate attempt to improve the offense by making possessions easier to start and more efficient to finish. [Read more 🡒]
Walker Kessler Had The Perfect Reaction To A Huge Lakers Breakthrough
Walker Kessler has quickly become one of the Lakers most important two-way pieces this season, giving them a steady defensive anchor while also providing enough offense to matter on the other end. His impact has shown up in the kind of numbers that usually belong to the leagues best rim protectors, and it has helped give Los Angeles a different kind of backbone as the season has unfolded.
So when the conversation turned to where he stands among the NBAs shot blockers, Kesslers response carried the kind of casual confidence Lakers fans tend to appreciate. He already knows Victor Wembanyama is ahead of him, but the bigger question is who else has managed to separate himself in that race, and Kesslers reaction made clear he is paying attention to the company he is keeping. [Read more 🡒]