Luka Doncic returned from two separate injuries on Friday to add another 40 points to his season total in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 117-112 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Luka Doncic records third game in a row with 40 points
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-for-27 (51.9%) shooting from the field and 6-for-15 (40%) from deep.
It was Doncic’s third straight game with 40 points, after scoring 43 points on opening night against the Golden State Warriors and 49 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Doncic became the only player in NBA history, aside from Wilt Chamberlain, to score 40 points in three straight games to start the season. Chamberlain did it twice: seven straight games in 1962-63 and five straight games in 1961-62.
Luka Dončić joins Wilt Chamberlain (2x) as the only players in NBA history to start a season with 3 consecutive games of 40+ points! https://t.co/xIGJ9TAY8J pic.twitter.com/lvSPH7I4gY
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) November 1, 2025
“I mean, I feel great,” Doncic said when asked if the Hall of Famer would go into the record books. “But obviously when we win, I feel even better. So that’s the whole point, to try to help the team win. And sometimes it’ll be scoring, sometimes it’ll be other things.”
Donic is already making Lakers history by scoring 92 points in the first two games to start the season, shattering Jerry West’s 56-year-old franchise record of 81.
According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, in 1986-87, only Chamberlain, Doncic and Michael Jordan scored 125 points or more in their first three games to begin a season. Doncic currently has 136 in just 115 minutes played.
Doncic joins another Lakers legend
Averaging 45.3 points in his first three outings this season, Doncic became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to average 45 or more in a three-game span.
According to ESPN Dave McMenaminDoncic was also asked if he could become the only player other than Chamberlain to average 40 for a season.
“That’s going to be difficult,” Doncic said. “Sometimes they’re going to double me more. Sometimes I can’t score that much. I think I had three or four shots that were crazy shots that I felt like doing, but they were terrible shots. … I have to work on that. But that’s hard. I don’t know.”
In addition, Doncic recorded twelve rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes of action, helping the Lakers recover from a 15-point deficit in the second half and win their first NBA Cup group game.
The five-time All-Star will get another chance 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.
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