Desk: Society, Culture & Lifestyle, Sports & Athletics.
Luka Just Dropped 53 and Now He's Knocking on Wilt Chamberlain's Door, Which Should Be Illegal
By Dakota Jones
Luka Doncic scored 53 points Friday night, November 6, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 in NBA Cup group play at Crypto.com Arena.
That’s a season high. It also lifted Doncic’s average to 40.1 points per game through nine games, a career best and a number that makes the history books look less like records and more like a warning label.
No NBA player has averaged at least 40 points for a season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and James Harden came close. None got there.
Now Doncic is walking toward that mark while the Lakers miss their first 15 three-point attempts and still win. The rest of the league, meanwhile, is presumably assigned to play defense.
The box score is loud. The context is louder.
Doncic finished 17-of-33 from the field, 5-of-15 from three-point range and 14-of-18 at the free-throw line. He added five rebounds and five assists. With 28 seconds left, his jumper in the lane put the game away.
That was the clean finish to a game that spent much of the night trying to become a Lakers problem.
Los Angeles started badly. Portland built a 16-point lead in the second quarter. Then Doncic banked in a halftime-buzzer heave from about 61 to 62 feet. ESPN measured it at 62 feet. The Associated Press called it 61. Either way, it was a long way from the basket and a useful way to turn a deficit into a 60-53 halftime score.
The Lakers opened the third quarter on a 17-0 run. Doncic scored 20 points in the period, more than Portland’s 15. A 32-11 run eventually put Los Angeles up by 16 early in the fourth.
Portland did not take the hint. The Blazers scored 43 points in the fourth and repeatedly pulled within four. Doncic and Austin Reaves answered with 10 points in the closing seconds to seal the win.
Wilt’s door is open. The caveats are, too.
Here is the number that makes this more than a spectacular Friday: Doncic has scored 361 points through his first nine games of the season. ESPN Research notes that only Chamberlain scored more through his first nine games. Wilt had 472 in 1962-63 and 455 in 1961-62.
Doncic has scored at least 40 points six times in nine games this season, and he has topped 50 twice. He also joined Bryant, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan as the only Lakers to score at least 40 points in four consecutive games.
His 11 career 50-point games tie him for 10th all-time. Among active players, he ranks fifth, behind Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and LeBron James.
For historical scale, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points in 1961-62 and 44.8 in 1962-63. Jordan’s 37.1 points per game in 1986-87 remains the highest average of the three-point era. Doncic’s previous career high was 33.9 points per game with the 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks.
So, yes, the 40-point season is suddenly a live conversation. No, that does not mean it is already happening. Nine games are a sample, not a season. There are 72 games left, as Doncic himself noted. Legs get heavy in February. Opponents make adjustments. And Wilt’s 50.4 is not a door anyone is casually knocking on.
But chasing 40 in the modern era, with defenses built to keep stars from living at the rim and the line, is absurd enough to deserve your attention.
A one-man engine, with help at the right time
Doncic entered Friday leading the league in scoring, shot attempts, three-point attempts, free-throw attempts, usage rate, player efficiency rating and win shares, according to ESPN. Usage rate estimates how much of a team’s offense runs through a player while he is on the floor. In Doncic’s case, it seems fair to say the Lakers’ offense has found its preferred customer.
The Lakers also own the NBA’s No. 1 offense. Doncic, 27, is now the undisputed face of the franchise after LeBron James’ offseason departure to Philadelphia.
Still, this was not a solo act from start to finish. Reaves scored 25 points. Walker Kessler added 16 points and 12 rebounds. For Portland, Deni Avdija had 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Damian Lillard scored 22 against his old team. Toumani Camara added 18, and Donovan Clingan scored 17.
Lakers coach JJ Redick put the performance in suitably measured terms: “Luka can do some things that maybe a handful, if not no one, can do in basketball.”
Blazers coach Micah Nori had offered his own verdict before the game: “He's the MVP right now. Hands down.”
The win was Los Angeles’ fourth straight and avenged a 136-129 home loss to Portland on October 27. Next, the Lakers visit Detroit on Sunday. The Blazers host San Antonio on Saturday.
What you should take from this
Doncic’s season pace is historic. The game itself showed why the Lakers can survive an ugly stretch: he can make a difficult shot, bend a defense and take over a quarter without waiting for the rest of the offense to find its rhythm.
That is the breakthrough. Not the idea that the record is already his, but that the possibility has become relevant at all.
Doncic sounded less interested in the milestone than the result. “It's obviously a long season. We're 10 games in. We've got 72 left. As long as we're winning, I'm good.”
It is a sensible answer. It is also an inconvenient one for anyone hoping he would promise to chase history on schedule.
FAQ
Is Luka Doncic averaging 40 points per game?
Yes. He is averaging 40.1 points per game through nine games, according to ESPN.
Has anyone averaged at least 40 points in a season since Wilt Chamberlain?
No. Chamberlain was the last NBA player to do it, in 1962-63.
How many points did Doncic score against Portland?
He scored 53 points in the Lakers’ 124-118 win.
Is Doncic on pace to break Wilt’s scoring records?
His start has put him in historic company, but nine games do not establish a season outcome. Chamberlain’s 50.4 points per game in 1961-62 remains a much higher benchmark.
Final Thoughts
Doncic is not knocking down Wilt Chamberlain’s door yet. He is making enough noise that the whole league has to check who’s there.
Keep the caveat in view: there are 72 games left, and a historic pace can change quickly. Keep the other fact in view, too: a 27-year-old Slovenian just scored 53 while his team missed 15 straight threes, erased a 16-point deficit and won.
Punchy verdict: The 40-point season is still a long shot. The fact that we are discussing it in November is already ridiculous.
For more coverage, visit LD3 Productions’ Society, Culture & Lifestyle desk.