SALT LAKE CITY — Luka Doncic delivered a historic 52-point performance Sunday night, sparking a massive comeback as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 132-123 at Delta Center.
Doncic added 10 assists and eight rebounds to fuel Los Angeles, which climbed out of an 18-point hole to secure its first road win and push its season record to 3-0. Doncic converted 17 of 30 field goal attempts, sank eight 3-pointers on 18 tries and made 10 of 11 free throws, Yahoo Sports reported.
Erasing an early deficit
The Lakers stumbled badly out of the gate, yielding 47 points to Utah in the opening period. Facing a 47-29 deficit after 12 minutes, Los Angeles mounted a fierce response, outscoring the Jazz 45-24 in the second quarter to take a 74-71 lead into the locker room.
Doncic capped that first-half resurgence in dramatic fashion, stripping Ace Bailey defensively before hitting a step-back 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left before the intermission, The Sporting Tribune reported. Doncic produced 25 points in the first half alone, while Austin Reaves chipped in 15 of his 29 points during the second quarter.
Utah pushed back in the final frame, using a 13-1 surge to take a 111-110 edge midway through the fourth. Doncic leveled the game with a 3-pointer, drew a charge on Utah guard Keyonte George, and sank two foul shots to regain the lead for good. In the closing minutes, Doncic drilled back-to-back shots from beyond the arc within 40 seconds to cross the 50-point plateau and seal the victory alongside a dagger 3-pointer from Reaves, Yahoo Sports noted.
Reaching rare historical milestones
Doncic’s explosive outing marked the 10th time in his regular-season career that he has reached 50 points. That milestone pushed him past Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo and into a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 11th on the NBA’s all-time list, according to The Sporting News.
The showing also earned Doncic an exclusive place in Los Angeles franchise history. He became just the third Laker ever to record at least 50 points and 10 assists in a single contest, joining Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, The Athletic reported. Baylor last achieved the feat in February 1963, while West reached the benchmark in January 1962.
Additionally, the 52-point night was Doncic’s third 50-point game in a Lakers uniform, tying him with LeBron James for fifth place on the franchise leaderboard, per StatMuse data cited by The Sporting News. The team also set a new standard by registering at least 125 points in each of its first three games to open an NBA regular season.
Lauri Markkanen paced the Jazz with 28 points, while George collected 24 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. Utah dropped to 1-2 despite dominating the glass with a 66-39 rebounding margin.
What comes next
The Lakers return home to face the unbeaten Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night before traveling to Inglewood to play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in their first back-to-back set of the young campaign. Utah remains home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
