MEMPHIS, Tennessee. – After Austin Reeves carried Lakers all week as their solo star, Luka Doncic returned Friday to pick up the baton, scoring another 40 points in Los Angeles' win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Doncic, who had missed the previous three games with a sprained finger on his left hand and a bruised left calf that he believed could keep him out until at least Sunday, flew to Memphis separately to rejoin the team on Thursday and scored a game-high 44 points.
It was Doncic's third straight 40-point game after he scored 43 against Golden State and then 49 against Minnesota, becoming the only player in NBA history other than Wilt Chamberlain surpassing the 40-point mark in three straight games to start the season. (Chamberlain did this twice—seven games in a row in 1962–63 and five games in a row in 1961–62).
“I mean, I feel great,” Doncic said when asked about being included in such rare company with a basketball legend. “But obviously if we win, I'll feel even better. That's the whole point, to try to help the team win. And sometimes it will be a goal, sometimes it will be something else.”
He did other things, leading Los Angeles with 12 rebounds and six assists as the Lakers came back from a 15-point second-half deficit to win their first NBA Cup group game, but it was the scoring that was most impressive – especially because of the other luminaries he joined.
Only Chamberlain, Doncic and Michael Jordan scored 125 or more points in the first three games of the season in 1986–87; Doncic has 136.
And by averaging 45.3 points in his first three games, Doncic became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to average 45 or more points in any three games.
Doncic was asked if he could become the only player other than Chamberlain to average 40 points in a season.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Doncic said. “Sometimes they're going to double me. Sometimes I can't score that much. I think I had three or four shots that were crazy shots that I wanted to make, but they were terrible shots. So… I need to work on this. But it's difficult. I don't know”.
When told that Reeves didn't think it was crazy and said after the Lakers' home win over Minnesota that he thought Doncic was capable of scoring 40 points, Doncic responded with a smile: “Austin is stupid.”
Reeves averaged 40 points on 50% shooting (41.4% from 3) with 10 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the three games Doncic missed. LeBron James (sciatica) is also relegated to the background. After Friday's win, he began to praise Doncic more and criticize himself.
“His ability to get us off to a quick start is very important to us because if you come out and he has 15 in the first round, we'll score I guess 30.” [points]” Reeves said of Doncic, who leads the league in first-quarter scoring with an average of 13 points. “Unless everyone else is throwing bricks like I was tonight.”
Reeves started the game 2-for-9 but finished the game as the Lakers' second-leading scorer with 21 points.
Los Angeles also received major contributions from Marcus Smartwho started after missing two games with a right quadriceps injury and had 12 points, four assists and two steals; And Jake LaRaviawho had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals against his former team.
Deandre Ayton scored nine points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first half, but didn't play after halftime with what coach J.J. Redick called “mid-back spasms.” Ayton spent the third quarter in the locker room trying to free himself and said he would have returned to the game in the fourth quarter if called upon, but Los Angeles was able to hold out without him.
Ayton said he hopes he'll be ready when the Lakers host the game. Miami Heat on Sunday.
This will be another opportunity for Doncic to score 40 points and another chance for his teammates to find ways to describe what they see from their teammate.
“Fantastic,” Smart said, coining his own word for what Doncic is doing this season. “It was great to watch.”
