▲ Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic put on a one-man show, becoming the first player to cross the 50-point mark in the National Basketball Association (NBA) this season, to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their third consecutive victory to start the season.
The Lakers secured a thrilling comeback win of 132-123 against the Utah Jazz in an away game of the 2026-2027 NBA regular season held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the 26th.
Doncic played a pivotal role in the victory with an explosive performance, racking up 52 points, including eight three-pointers, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds.
His dominance in the second half, the turning point of the match, stood out brilliantly.
Having surrendered early momentum to trail by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, the Lakers mounted a fierce chase. Powered by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Doncic with 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter, they turned the game around to lead 103-100 heading into the final fourth quarter.
Doncic's clutch instincts continued to shine in the fourth quarter as well.
With 1 minute and 42 seconds remaining in the game, he sealed the momentum by sinking consecutive three-pointers to extend the lead to 127-121.
With his fourth career 50-point, 10-assist game, Doncic surpassed Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and Nate Archibald to claim sole possession of second place in NBA history for such games.
The top spot belongs to James Harden, who has achieved the feat eight times.
For the Lakers, Austin Reaves also contributed to the win with 29 points and 4 assists.
Utah saw solid contributions from Lauri Markkanen (28 points), Keyonte George (24 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds), Jaren Jackson Jr. (20 points), and Ace Bailey (17 points and 12 rebounds), but they failed to stop Doncic's stellar one-man show.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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