Luka Dončić scored 52 points on Oct. 25 as the Los Angeles Lakers came back from 18 points down to beat the Utah Jazz 132-123 at Delta Center. The win moved the Lakers to 3-0.
Dončić shot 17-of-30 from the field, 8-of-18 from three and 10-of-11 from the line. He added eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in 38 minutes. It marked the 10th time he scored 50 or more points in a regular-season game.
He entered the game averaging 25.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists through his first two games of the 2026-27 season.
Utah scored 47 points in the first quarter, and Dončić scored 17 of Los Angeles’ first 25 points. The Lakers answered with 45 in the second quarter, and Dončić hit a stepback 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left in the half to give the Lakers their first lead at 74-71.
The game stayed close into the fourth quarter. Dončić finished off a 14-5 run with two 3s in a span of 40 seconds that gave Los Angeles a 127-121 lead with 1:42 left. The second trey put him at 50 points. Austin Reaves added 29 points.
The Lakers Needed Two Scorers to Cover a 47-Point Quarter
Almost all of the 52 came from the field: 24 points on threes, 18 inside the arc and 10 at the line. He took 11 free throws against 30 field-goal attempts, so this was mostly a shot-making night.
Dončić already had nine regular-season 50-point games before this one, which makes it a return to a ceiling he has hit before. It came against a Jazz team that fell to 1-2, and it is not evidence that he has made a leap.
The more useful takeaway is how much the Lakers needed him. Dončić and Reaves combined for 81 of the 132 points, while the rest of the roster scored 51. A defense that allowed 47 points in one quarter was bailed out by two players. That is the Lakers’ real concern early in the season. Dončić’s scoring is not.
Eight Made Threes Is the Part That Will Not Repeat
Dončić handles the ball on most possessions, and that part is repeatable. Making eight threes on 18 attempts is not something to count on, and a night that needs 52 from him to beat a 1-1 team is not a template the Lakers can run all season.
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