Luka Doncic kept the LA Lakers rolling in dramatic fashion, and his numbers from the 130-123 comeback over the Utah Jazz now sit alongside some of the franchise’s biggest marks.
The Lakers were stunned early when Utah poured in 47 points in the first quarter, but Doncic dragged them back from an 18-point hole. Los Angeles moved to 3-0 with the win, while the Jazz fell to 1-2 after missing a chance to get above .500.
Doncic finished with 52 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists, and that production pushed him into a new place in Lakers history. He became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 3,000 points, doing it in just 95 games.
That breaks George Mikan’s 106-game mark. LeBron James needed 114 games to get there.
FEWEST GMS TO 3,000 PTS WITH LAKERS
Player Games
Luka Doncic 95
George Mikan 106
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 109
Shaquille O’Neal 110
LeBron James 114
Elgin Baylor 115
Doncic also moved ahead of James on the Lakers’ all-time list for 40-point games. He now has 19 such outings, one more than James’ 18. Kobe Bryant still owns the franchise record with 122.
MOST 40-POINT GAMES IN LAKERS FRANCHISE HISTORY
Rank Player 40-Point Games
1 Kobe Bryant 122
2 Elgin Baylor 88
3 Jerry West 66
4 Shaquille O’Neal 26
5 George Mikan 23
6 Luka Doncic 19
7 LeBron James 18
His latest explosion also tightened his place on the NBA’s all-time 50-point game list. Doncic now has 10, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and putting him among a group that includes some of the league’s most famous scorers. He is four away from matching LeBron James’ total of 14.
MOST 50-POINT GAMES IN NBA HISTORY
Rank Player 50-Point Games
1 Wilt Chamberlain 118
2 Michael Jordan 31
T-3 Kobe Bryant 25
T-3 James Harden 25
5 Elgin Baylor 17
T-6 Damian Lillard 15
T-6 Stephen Curry 15
T-8 Rick Barry 14
T-8 LeBron James 14
10 Allen Iverson 11
T-11 Luka Doncic 10
T-11 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10
The Lakers can only marvel at how this all turned out after the Mavericks’ decision to trade Doncic away two seasons ago.
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Austin Reaves Is Forcing A New Lakers Debate Already
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The praise has followed. James Worthy, Derek Fisher and former player Kevin Garnett have all singled out Reaves for the creativity and skill he brings, along with the way he affects the team beyond just scoring. The question now is not whether he belongs in the conversation, but how the Lakers sort out a rotation and pecking order when he keeps playing like this. [Read more 🡒]