The Lakers kept rolling in Utah, and Luka Doncic made the night look almost unfair.
Los Angeles moved to 3-0 on the season with a 132-123 road win over the Jazz, a game that featured boos for returning former Utah big man Walker Kessler and a monster outing from Doncic. The Lakers guard finished with 52 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and eight made threes, powering a performance that sent him onto a notable list alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
With the eruption, Doncic now has ten career 50-point games, tying Abdul-Jabbar. That puts him one behind Allen Iverson, who sits 10th all-time with 11 such games. The all-time standard remains miles ahead: Wilt Chamberlain with 118, followed by Michael Jordan with 31.
Doncic’s 52-point night was also the first 50-point game by any NBA player this season.
The Lakers didn’t rely on him alone, either. They got five players into double figures, including 29 points from Austin Reaves, who hit 11 of 13 free throws.
Doncic went to the line 11 times and made 10 of those free throws, doing it only days after his public back-and-forth with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg about foul calls and “whining” to the officials. Against Utah, the Lakers star backed up the talk with production, while Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 28 points.
For now, the Lakers look like a team with real momentum, and Doncic is driving it. His shot-making and ability to attack from everywhere give Los Angeles a dangerous ceiling, and this roster looks built to bring those strengths to the front.
In Other News...
Walker Kessler Had A Tough Return And Lakers Fans Noticed
The Lakers 132-123 win over the Jazz kept their perfect start intact, but one of the more noticeable subplots came from the other side. Walker Kessler was back in Utah for the first time since being traded, and the emotions of the night seemed to follow him from the opening tip, with Lakers fans taking note of how unsettled the return appeared to be.
Kessler finished with two points, seven rebounds and one block, a quiet line for a player who has usually made his value felt around the rim. Afterward, he acknowledged that the moment affected his play and still made a point to show appreciation for his teammates, leaving a reminder that even in October, these kinds of returns can carry a little more weight than the box score shows. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Has The Lakers Rolling But One Problem Still Looks Serious
The Lakers have opened the 2026-27 season with a burst of momentum, and Luka Doncic has been at the center of it. Los Angeles beat the Utah Jazz 132-123 at the Delta Center for its third straight win, with Doncic carrying the night with a season-high 52 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while Austin Reaves added 29 points. Even after falling behind by 18, the Lakers kept coming, a sign that early-season belief is already building around the group.
What will matter next is whether that resilience can keep masking a rebounding issue that still looks serious. The Lakers have shown they can score enough to survive some rough patches, but the work on the glass remains a concern even in a game where the offense was rolling and the record moved to 3-0. For a team trying to stack wins early, that kind of problem can be easy to overlook for a night and hard to ignore over time. [Read more 🡒]
Walker Kessler's Utah Return Says Plenty About The Lakers' New Center
The Lakers first road trip of the season brought an early look at how Walker Kesslers change of address will play out on the floor and off it. Back in Utah after being signed and traded to Los Angeles in the offseason, the new Lakers center stepped into an unfamiliar scene that still carried plenty of familiarity, from the arena to the fans who watched him grow into a notable part of the Jazzs recent plans. Utah even rolled out a welcome message for Kessler on the big screen, a small but telling nod to a return that was never going to feel entirely routine.
Some of the crowd was more reserved about it, reflecting the mixed feelings that can follow a departure like that. For the Lakers, though, the bigger picture was clear enough: they came in at 2-0 and were already looking ahead to a home date with the Portland Trail Blazers, with Kesslers first Utah visit offering one more reminder that this season will be as much about fitting pieces together as it is about the standings. [Read more 🡒]