Luka Doncic was incredible, which is no surprise. He then took the Los Angeles Lakers to task on Friday, scoring an incredible 44 points to bury the Memphis Grizzlies. Doncic had 40 or more for the third game in a row. This incredible accomplishment places him alongside NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain as one of the only players in history to accomplish this feat at the beginning of a season.
Doncic’s remarkable scoring run started on opening night against the Golden State Warriors, in which he scored 43 points. In fact, he followed that performance up by scoring 49 points—his career high—in a double overtime thriller against the Minnesota Timberwolves just two days later. Doncic missed three games this season already, with a sprained finger and lower leg contusion. It is fitting that since his return to the court, he has continued to make his own headlines with spectacular performances.
Flying to Memphis separately in order to rejoin his team, Doncic wasted no time making a big impact. He was a one-man scoring machine against the Grizzlies, using his varied offensive arsenal. On top of that, he really set the tone with 12 boards and six assists. Instead, his performance has been integral in cementing the Lakers early hold on a playoff spot.
In those first three games, Doncic finished with 136 points for an average of 45.3 points per game. This scoring average makes him the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to achieve such a high mark over any three-game span. To add onto that, Doncic is leading the league in first-quarter scoring, with an average of 13 points through this quarter.
Pace aside, Doncic’s historical consistency has vaulted him into the greatest of elite categories. He now joins legends Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only other players to score 125 or more points in their first three games of a season. The pair of milestones highlight not only his scoring prowess, but his value to the team’s success this season.
Despite his standout performances, Doncic remains self-aware about the challenges of maintaining such high scoring throughout the season. Watch his full comments above, and it’s easy to understand how admitting it would be very hard to continue dropping 40-points a night.
“Scoring 40 points consistently throughout the season will be tough.” – Luka Doncic
His teammate Marcus Smart couldn’t stop gushing about what Doncic did, underscoring how important of a performance it was to the team. He referred to Doncic’s play as “fantasticness,” a term befitting the awe with which his teammates—and NBA supporters in general—witness it.
The Lakers’ victory against the Grizzlies further solidifies Doncic’s position as one of the game’s premier players and sets high expectations for the remainder of the season. He’s the most consistently great player on the Lakers, in terms of scoring, defense, creating offensive opportunities. Fans can hardly wait to see how Doncic will improve on this blazing warm-up act!
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