The NBA named Lakers guard Luka Dončić the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. Dončić scored at least 40 points in each of his three appearances, all Lakers victories, averaging 45.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
He opened the week with a 42-point, 13-assist double-double and six 3-pointers in a 138-117 home victory over Miami, then followed with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 116-103 road win over Sacramento.
He closed the week with a season-high 53 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 124-118 NBA Cup victory over Portland on Nov. 6.
The league’s release carried one historical note: Dončić is the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant, who did it Jan. 10-14, 2012, to score 40 or more points in four straight games. Former Dallas teammate Jalen Brunson won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Dončić had missed the Lakers’ Nov. 8 game at Detroit with lower back tightness before returning Monday, Nov. 9 against Atlanta. He finished with 32 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Lakers beat the Hawks 124-114, extending their winning streak to six games and improving to 10-2, though the outing ended his streak of 40-point games at four.
A Workload Built on One Player, With No Margin Yet Tested
The Lakers’ record and this award rest on the same fact: Dončić is scoring at a rate the roster has shown little capacity to replace when he sits. That is the standing question behind a 10-2 start, and it is one the minutes without him have already raised.
The one game he missed came with a back issue, and he returned the next night with no minutes limit and played a full workload against Atlanta. That is a reasonable bet in November, but it is still a bet — the plan has not yet been stress-tested by a multi-game absence.
Milwaukee Is the Next Test of the Same Question
The Lakers play at Milwaukee on Wednesday, Nov. 11, looking to extend their six-game winning streak. No designation on Dončić’s health beyond Monday’s return has been reported.
Source: NBA.com
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