Luka Doncic Making History in Los Angeles

Cover photo: Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic shoots a free-throw against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 24. Photo credit: Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers and their 18-inning World Series Game 3 win into the wee hours of Tuesday morning aside (the Dodgers also accomplished the same on Oct. 26, 2018 in against the Boston Red Sox), there is another history-maker that dwells in LA. 

Lakers’ superstar Luka Doncic, currently out of the lineup with a left finger sprain and lower leg contusion, made team history in the team’s first two games of the season. In the season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21, Doncic in 41 minutes shot 17-of-27 from the field for 43 points, adding 12 rebounds and 9 assists. In the Lakers’ second game of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 24, Doncic in 35 minutes shot 14-of-23, scoring 49 points with 11 rebounds and 8 assists. 

In the process, Doncic broke Jerry West’s 56-year-old franchise record for the most points scored through two games. On Oct. 17, 1969 and Oct. 18, 1969, West poured in 39 (13-of-20, 13-of-15) and 42 points (16-of-23, 10-of-10) in games against the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. West finished that season with an NBA-best 31.2 points per game, one decimal point off of his career-best 31.3 points per game in 1965-66. 

Surely, Doncic’s 46.0 points per game will not hold up, but with LeBron James out of the lineup with sciatica and Doncic leading the Lakers, it is easy to surmise that he might lead the NBA in scoring for the second time in his career (he averaged 33.9 points per game in 2023-24 and finished third in MVP voting). 

The Lakers are 2-2, with wins against the Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings (51 points for Austin Reaves in the latter game), sandwiched between Warrior and Portland Trail Blazer losses. Reaves has picked up some of the scoring slack, with 51 points against the Kings and 41 against the Blazers. 

Doncic, already making history this season, seems to be on a trajectory of carrying this team as far as he can in 2025-26.