Luka Doncic returned Friday from two separate injuries to add yet another 40-point outing to his season total, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 117-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Luka Doncic Records Third Straight 40-Point Game
Doncic, who missed the previous three games with a sprained finger on his left hand and a lower left leg contusion, scored a game-high 44 points on 14-of-27 (51.9%) shooting from the field and 6-for-15 (40%) from deep.
It was Doncic’s third straight 40-point game after scoring 43 on opening night against the Golden State Warriors and 49 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Doncic became the only player in NBA history other than Wilt Chamberlain to put up 40 points in three straight games to begin the season. Chamberlain did it twice: seven straight games in 1962-63 and five straight in 1961-62.
Luka Dončić joins Wilt Chamberlain (2x) as the only players in NBA history to start a season with 3 straight 40+ point games! https://t.co/xIGJ9TAY8J pic.twitter.com/lvSPH7I4gY
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) November 1, 2025
“I mean, I feel great,” Doncic said when asked about joining the Hall of Famer in the record books. “But obviously, if we get a win, I feel even better. So that’s the whole point, trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it’s going to be scoring, sometimes other things.”
Donic already make Lakers history by posting 92 points through the first two games to begin the season, shattering Jerry West’s 56-year franchise record of 81.
Per ESPN’s Stats & Information, only Chamberlain, Doncic, and Michael Jordan in 1986-87 scored 125 points or more in their first three games to start a season. Doncic currently has 136 in just 115 minutes played.
Doncic Joins Another Lakers Legend
By averaging 45.3 points in his first three appearances this season, Doncic became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to average 45 or more in any three-game span.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic was also asked if he could become the only player other than Chamberlain to average 40 for a season.
“That’s going to be tough,” Doncic said. “Sometimes they’re going to double me more. Sometimes I won’t be able to score that much. I had I think three or four shots that were crazy shots that I felt like doing, but they were terrible shots. … I’ve got to work on that. But that’s tough. I don’t know.”
In addition, Doncic recorded 12 rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes of action, helping the Lakers rally from a 15-point second-half deficit to win their first NBA Cup group play matchup.
The five-time All-Star will have another opportunity to score 40 again when the Lakers host the Miami Heat on Sunday. The Purple and Gold will then visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
