Lakers' Luka Dončić scores 53 vs. Blazers, pushes average past 40 and leads early MVP talk

Luka Dončić scored a season-high 53 points Friday night as the Lakers came back from 16 down to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 at Crypto.com Arena. The win was their fourth straight, moved them to 8-2 and paid Portland back for one of their two losses. The performance raised his scoring average to 40.1 points through 10 games, and USA TODAY Sports argues it has put him at the front of the early MVP race. Dončić already sits first in that outlet's weekly MVP rankings.

The Lakers looked flat for most of the first half. They missed their first 15 three-point attempts and fell behind by 16. Dončić then made a 62-foot heave at the halftime buzzer that cut the deficit to 60-53. He took over in the third quarter, scoring 20 points by himself while Los Angeles outscored Portland 34-15. He finished with five rebounds and five assists to go with the 53 points. Austin Reaves added 25 points and Walker Kessler had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

The numbers are starting to look historic. ESPN reports that Dončić has topped 40 points six times this season and 50 twice. He has now scored at least 40 in four straight games, a streak only Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan had managed in Lakers history. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player who has scored more points through the first nine games of a season. Dončić's previous career high for a full season was 33.9 points per game with Dallas in 2023-24. This is his first season as the clear face of the franchise since LeBron James left for Philadelphia over the summer. theScore noted it was his fourth 50-point game as a Laker, which moves him past James into a tie for fourth in franchise history.

JJ Redick has said he won't take part in MVP talk until about 50 games into the season, but he still praised his star. "Luka can do some things that maybe a handful, if not no one, can do in basketball," Redick said, according to ESPN.

What it means for Sunday at Detroit

The Lakers head to Detroit on Sunday, November 8 (NBA TV, Spectrum Sports Net). They are averaging 122.0 points and allowing 114.3, a margin of plus-7.7 per game over 10 games. They are 3-1 on the road. Their only road loss came at Golden State, where they scored a season-low 95 points in a 17-point defeat. Their other loss was the 136-129 home game against Portland that Friday's win avenged.

The winning streak has not been close every night. Before Friday, the Lakers beat Toronto by six, then Miami by 21 and Sacramento by 13. The Portland game also showed how much depends on one player. When Dončić sat in the fourth quarter, a 16-point lead shrank to four, and he came back to score the late baskets that held off the Blazers. With roughly a third of the team's points coming from him, the trip to Detroit will test whether the Lakers can hold up away from home if he has an ordinary night.

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