Luka Doncic Scores 53, Including a 62-Foot Buzzer-Beater, as Lakers Rally Past Trail Blazers 124-118
Luka Doncic scored a season-high 53 points and hit a 62-foot shot at the halftime buzzer as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 16 points down to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 on Friday night. He is averaging 40.1 points per game, a pace no player has matched since Wilt Chamberlain.
LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic scored a season-high 53 points, including a 62-foot shot at the halftime buzzer, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 16 points down to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 on Friday night.
Doncic added five rebounds and five assists and made five 3-pointers, shooting 17 for 33 from the field and 14 for 18 from the free-throw line. It was his 11th career 50-point game, tying him for 10th on the NBA’s all-time list, and his fourth straight game with at least 40 points. It was also his second 50-point game of the season, after he scored 52 against Utah on October 25.
The Lakers won their fourth straight game and improved to 8-2. Portland’s three-game winning streak ended, and it was the Trail Blazers’ second loss of the season.
A 62-foot shot changed the game
Portland led by as many as 16 points in the first half, and the Lakers missed their first 15 shots from 3-point range. With six seconds left in the half, Walker Kessler grabbed a missed shot and handed the ball to Doncic, who launched from near the opposite free-throw line. The ball banked in and cut Portland’s lead to 60-53 at halftime.
“I think it changes the whole energy, in the team and in the gym. I thought it was an important shot to make,” Doncic said. “So that’s why I decided to make it.”
The Lakers outscored Portland 34-15 in the third quarter. Doncic scored 20 points in the quarter, outscoring the Trail Blazers by himself, and Los Angeles took an 87-75 lead into the fourth. A 17-0 run in the third gave the Lakers a 78-68 lead.
Portland cut the lead to four, 114-110, with 50.8 seconds left after two free throws by Damian Lillard. Doncic sealed the win with a floater with 27.7 seconds left, moving past 50 points for the night.
Austin Reaves added 25 points for Los Angeles, and Walker Kessler had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Deni Avdija had 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists for Portland, and Lillard also scored 22. Toumani Camara added 18 points, and Donovan Clingan had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
A scoring pace not seen since Chamberlain
Doncic has scored at least 40 points six times in nine games this season and at least 35 in seven straight games. He is averaging 40.1 points per game, a pace no player has reached since Wilt Chamberlain.
“He’s incredible to watch,” Kessler said after the game. “He’s incredible to play alongside. He’s my MVP. I think it’s pretty clear right now.”
Doncic, 27, leads the NBA in scoring. The Lakers improved to 1-1 in NBA Cup group play, while the Trail Blazers fell to 0-1.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters, USA Today and the New York Post.
