Dončić’s start with the Lakers ranks among the most striking in NBA history

53 points as the latest chapter in a remarkable run

Luka Dončić led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers and poured in a season-high 53 points. He also added 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Late on, with the home side’s lead trimmed to 4 points, he knocked down a crucial shot in the paint with 28 seconds left to help secure the Lakers’ 4th straight win.

The game began awkwardly for the home team. The Lakers trailed by 16 points in the 2nd quarter and struggled for a long time from beyond the arc, missing their first 15 3-point attempts. Dončić also missed his first 5 shots from deep. But the comeback was sparked in part by his full-court buzzer-beater at the end of the 1st half, when he hit from about 62 feet.

After the break, he took control. He scored 20 points in the 3rd quarter alone, and the Lakers turned the game around in that stretch. Portland did get back into it, but never got closer than 4 points. Austin Reaves added 25 points, Walker Kessler had 16 points and 12 rebounds. For the visitors, Deni Avdija finished with 22 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds, while Damian Lillard also scored 22 points.

An average of 40.1 points and company few ever join

The biggest story is not just 1 night, but what Dončić has been doing since the start of the season. Through the first 9 games, he is averaging 40.1 points per game. Over that stretch, he has scored 361 points, the most in the modern NBA through 9 games and also the highest total since Wilt Chamberlain. The only player with more points through 9 games of a season is Chamberlain himself, with 472 in 1962/63 and 455 in 1961/62.

Chamberlain remains the only player to sustain an average of at least 40 points over a full season. In 1961/62, he posted a record 50.4 points, and a year later 44.8. Later legends came close to that mark, but did not reach it. Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points in 1986/87, the highest figure of the 3-point era. James Harden reached 36.1 in 2018/19, and Kobe Bryant’s 35.4 remains the highest average by a Lakers player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.

The new face of the Lakers and the No. 1 offense

Dončić is also making the most of his changed status within the club. After LeBron James left for the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer, he became the clear face of the Lakers. He entered the game against Portland leading the NBA in points, field-goal attempts, 3-point attempts, free throws, usage rate, player efficiency rating and win shares. Meanwhile, he is spearheading the Lakers’ offense, which ranks No. 1 in the league.

After another huge performance, coach JJ Redick admitted he is running out of words to describe Dončić’s form. Even more telling, though, was how he summed up the basketball ability of his star: in his view, Dončić can do things on the floor that only a handful of players can, if anyone at all. Portland coach Micah Nori also acknowledged the strength of his start to the season before the game, calling him the league’s current most valuable player.

That is showing up on the court not only in the raw scoring totals, but also in the consistency. Against Portland, he topped 40 points for the 6th time this season and cleared 50 for the 2nd time. In his last 7 appearances, he has had 6 games with at least 40 points, plus 1 37-point performance. He has also put together 7 straight games with at least 35 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 made 3-pointers.

A place in Lakers and NBA history

Dončić’s performance against the Trail Blazers was not just another big number in the scoring column. He became only the 4th player in Lakers history to score at least 40 points in 4 straight regular-season games. He joined Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and George Mikan. At the same time, he passed Mikan in 40-point games for the Lakers and, after just 101 regular-season games with the club, now ranks 5th in that category.

His 53 points were also the 11th game of his career with at least 50 points. That moved him into a tie for 10th on the all-time list, and among active players he is 5th behind James Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and LeBron James. Another major milestone came on a broader all-time scale: for the 62nd time in his career, he finished a game with at least 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, tying Michael Jordan for 1st place in this specific historical category.

That is why Dončić’s start cannot be seen as just a brief burst from 1 star. Their offense is built around a player operating in territory that almost nobody in modern NBA history has reached at the start of a season. When the scoring average stays above 40 and the records keep coming almost every night, this is no longer just form. It is a start to the season that immediately demands a place in its historical context.