After missing three games due to a sprained left finger and an injury to his lower left thigh, Luka Dončić resumed his duties to begin the 2025–26 season.
The star guard had 44 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in the Lakers’ 117–112 victory over the Grizzlies on Friday in NBA Cup group play. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, it’s his third 40-point game of the season in as many attempts, making him and Wilt Chamberlain the only players in NBA history to score 40 points in three consecutive games to start a season.
In his first game of the season, Dončić scored 43 points; in his second game, he scored 49 points, for a staggering 136 points in his first three games. In the limited sample, he averages an amazing 45.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game.
According to ESPN, Chamberlain accomplished this accomplishment twice, scoring 40 points or more in seven straight games to begin the 1962–63 season and five straight in 1961–62. It’s incredible to join the NBA legend’s company for any record, and it speaks to Dončić’s eagerness to begin his first full season as a Laker.
