Luka Doncic Erupts for 53 as Lakers Hold Off Trail Blazers' Late Push
Doncic scored 20 points in the third quarter alone and finished with 53-5-5 as Los Angeles survived Portland's comeback bid, 124-118.
Luka Doncic scored 53 points — 20 of them in a staggering third quarter — to lift the Los Angeles Lakers past a late surge from the Portland Trail Blazers, 124-118, on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Doncic added five rebounds and five assists to go with the scoring outburst, continuing what's already shaping up as one of the most prolific individual seasons in recent Lakers history. Austin Reaves chipped in 25 points, and Walker Kessler added 16 points and 12 rebounds off the bench as the Lakers held on against a Portland team that refused to go away, according to CBS Sports' game recap.
Portland wouldn't fold
The Trail Blazers got a strong two-way effort from Deni Avdija, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, and Damian Lillard matched him with 22 points of his own. Portland clawed back from an early deficit and had chances late to make it a one-possession game before the Lakers' defense — and Doncic's third-quarter explosion — proved too much to overcome.
It's been a historic stretch for the 26-year-old guard: Doncic put up 52 points in a win over the Utah Jazz on October 25, followed that with 45 points and a season-high 15 rebounds against Toronto on November 1, then added 42 points in a win over Miami two days later. Friday's 53-point outburst against Portland was his best of the season yet.
JUST GET OUT AND RUN
Doncic has talked throughout the season about pushing pace on a Lakers roster that wants to play faster than in years past, and Friday's third quarter — when Los Angeles blew the game open before Portland's rally — was exactly that philosophy in action.
Elsewhere around the league
Friday's slate also saw the Boston Celtics rout the Charlotte Hornets 119-80, the Atlanta Hawks outlast the Washington Wizards 139-132 in a shootout, and Victor Wembanyama post another double-double in San Antonio's 124-109 win over Sacramento. The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their hot start by blowing out Memphis 128-97.
The Lakers are back in action this weekend as they try to keep pace at the top of the West, while Portland — one of the league's more competitive surprises early this season — heads home still searching for the signature win that would validate its hot start.