Luka Doncic Drops 53 as Lakers Rally Past Trail Blazers 124-118

Luka Doncic produced another night for the history books on Friday, scoring a season-high 53 points to carry the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-118 NBA Cup victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 16 points in the second quarter and were still seven points behind at half-time, yet Doncic never stopped coming. He finished 17 of 33 from the field, including five three-pointers, and 14 of 18 from the free-throw line, adding five rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes as Los Angeles won its fourth game in a row and improved to 8-2.

The heave that turned the night

For nearly 24 minutes, almost nothing fell for the Lakers from beyond the arc. Then Doncic ended the first half with the toughest shot of them all, launching a 62-foot heave from the top of the opposite key at the buzzer. It went in, cut Portland's lead to 60-53, and changed the whole feel of the night.

Walker Kessler had the best view in the building. The Lakers centre grabbed a loose ball with six seconds left in the half, handed it to Doncic and set the screen that freed him to launch. "He's incredible to watch," Kessler said afterwards. The shot was only the Lakers' fourth make from deep in 23 attempts to that point, yet it sent them into the break believing again.

Portland had earned that lead. Deni Avdija ran the Blazers' offence superbly on his way to 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, and Damian Lillard added 22 points of his own. The visitors' three-game winning streak and their fast start in Los Angeles suggested a second win over the Lakers in eleven days was well within reach.

A third quarter for the record books

Instead, Doncic took the game over after the break. He scored 20 points in the third quarter alone, outscoring the entire Portland team by five in the frame as the Lakers won the quarter 34-15. A three-pointer from Ziaire Williams with 4:23 left in the period put Los Angeles ahead 71-68, its first lead since Doncic's opening basket had made it 2-0, and the Lakers never trailed again.

By the end of the third quarter Doncic already had 40 points, and the Lakers led 87-75. It was his fourth consecutive game with at least 40 points and his seventh straight game scoring at least 35, a run that has turned the early MVP conversation into a one-man show.

Portland refuse to fold

Portland, to their credit, refused to fold. A 10-0 run pulled the Blazers within 95-89 with 7:20 remaining, before back-to-back three-pointers from Jake LaRavia and Austin Reaves restored order at 103-91 with 5:25 left. Reaves finished with 25 points and four steals, doing much of his best work late even on a night when he shot 8 of 22 from the field.

The Blazers came once more. Two free throws from Lillard made it 114-110 with 50.8 seconds left, and Crypto.com Arena went quiet. Doncic answered with a floater with 27.7 seconds remaining, moving past 50 points and sealing the win. He and Reaves combined to score 10 points in the final seconds as a late 12-point Lakers lead, briefly cut to four, held up.

History keeps piling up

The numbers around Doncic's night are becoming difficult to believe. The 53 points were his 11th career 50-point game, moving him into a tie for 10th place on the NBA's all-time list, and his fourth 50-point game as a Laker. It was also his second 50-point game of the season, after the 52 he scored in the road win over the Utah Jazz on 25 October.

He is the first Laker to score at least 40 points in four consecutive games since Kobe Bryant in January 2012, joining Bryant, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan as the only players in franchise history to do so. Doncic is now averaging 40.1 points per game, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average at least 40 points through the first nine games of a season.

Kessler's double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds gave Doncic the support he needed inside, and the win also avenged the Lakers' 136-129 home defeat by Portland on 27 October. The Lakers improved to 1-1 in NBA Cup group play while Portland fell to 0-1 and suffered only their second defeat of the season, ending a three-game winning streak.

Los Angeles now head out on a four-game road trip, starting on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. If Doncic keeps scoring like this, the trip may feel less like a test than a travelling show.

Around the rest of Friday night

Elsewhere on Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 in NBA Cup play. Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points and Evan Mobley added 22 for Cleveland, while LeBron James managed only eight points on 3-of-12 shooting with six turnovers in his return to Cleveland as an opponent. The Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 121-107, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 124-109.

None of it, though, could match the show in Los Angeles. Doncic has now scored at least 40 points six times in a seven-game surge, with a 37-point night the only exception, and the Lakers are winning while he does it. The rest of the league has had a week to find an answer. So far, nobody has.