For nearly 24 minutes on Friday night, the Lakers struggled with nearly every shot they got beyond the 3-point arc.
But Luka Dončić ended the first half by making the toughest look of them all, which ended up sparking his team’s 124-118 comeback win over the Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena to continue his historic start of the season.
Dončić recorded a season-high 53 points, to go along with five assists and five rebounds, for his seventh-straight game scoring at least 35 points and his fourth straight game scoring at least 40 points.
It was the league’s leading scorer’s second 50-point game of the season after he scored 52 points in the Oct. 25 road win over the Jazz.
After the Lakers missed their first 15 3-pointers and made just 3 of their 23 shots from distance, the Slovenian superstar banked in a 61-foot, buzzer-beating heave before the second quarter ended.
The Lakers still trailed, 60-53, going into halftime. But their shooting droughts ended there.
They blitzed the Trail Blazers in the third, winning the quarter 34-15, with Dončić (20 points) outscoring Portland on his own.
Austin Reaves added 25 points despite struggling with his shot (8 of 22) for most of Friday. Walker Kessler had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The victory not only moved the Lakers to 8-2 on the season, but they improved to 1-1 in NBA Cup Group Play games.
