Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has become the second player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in each of his first three games of the season, matching Wilt Chamberlain's feat. Doncic achieved this with 44 points in a 117-112 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He emphasized team success over individual milestones in postgame comments.
In a strong start to the 2025-26 NBA season, Luka Doncic continued his scoring tear, dropping 44 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-112 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. This performance marked his third consecutive 40-plus-point game to open the season, placing him alongside Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to accomplish this in NBA history.
Chamberlain first achieved the mark with 40 or more points in his initial five games of the 1961-62 season while with the Philadelphia Warriors, followed by seven straight such games to start the 1962-63 campaign after the team relocated to become the San Francisco Warriors. Later, after joining the Lakers ahead of the 1968-69 season following three MVP awards and a title with the Philadelphia 76ers, Chamberlain adjusted his game alongside stars like Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. During his five years in Los Angeles, he averaged 17.7 points on 60.5 percent field goal shooting, 19.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, helping the Lakers reach four NBA Finals and win in 1972.
Reflecting on the historic milestone, Doncic remained focused on team contributions. "I mean, I feel great," he said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "But obviously, if we get a win, I feel even better. So that’s the whole point, trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it’s going to be scoring, sometimes other things."
Doncic also made a lighthearted admission about sustaining the pace. "That's going to be tough," he noted. "Sometimes they're going to double me more. Sometimes I won't be able to score that much. I had I think three or four shots that were crazy shots that I felt like doing, but they were terrible shots. ... I've got to work on that. But that's tough. I don't know."
Through three games, the 26-year-old is averaging 45.3 points on .584/.351/.786 shooting splits, along with 11.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 0.7 steals. With LeBron James sidelined by a sciatica injury in his right side and lower back, guard Austin Reaves has stepped up, averaging 32.0 points, 9.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across the Lakers' six games, where they hold a 4-2 record. The team next faces the Miami Heat at home on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. PT.