Luka Doncic scored 42 points Monday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 138-117 win over the Miami Heat, extending a scoring surge that has made him the league’s top scorer. Doncic has now posted four 40-plus-point games in his past five outings, and his average of 38.8 points per game leads the NBA.
Miami star Giannis Antetokounmpo praised Doncic after the game. Antetokounmpo is averaging the fourth-most points in the league this season, but his 28.4 points per game trail Doncic’s by nearly 10. “Obviously, he’s one of the best scorers to play this game, if not the best,” Antetokounmpo said after the Lakers improved to 6-2 with the win over the struggling Heat, who fell to 2-5.
When a reporter asked for more context on the two-time MVP’s claim, Antetokounmpo doubled down. “Not right now,” he said. “Not right now. Of all time. I feel like some people are scared to say that, but he’s got to be up there.”
Coming from a player with nearly 22,000 career points who ranks No. 41 on the all-time scoring list, just behind Larry Bird, that endorsement carries weight. The numbers also back up Doncic’s case. His career scoring average of 29.32 points ranks behind only Michael Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07). His career playoff scoring average of 30.9 points is even higher than his regular-season mark.
Historic Stretch Continues
Against Miami, Doncic scored 20-plus points in the first half for the fifth straight game, the first Lakers player to accomplish that since Kobe Bryant in 2007. The 27-year-old is also on pace to win his second straight scoring title and the third of his career.
Over his past five games, Doncic has averaged 43.4 points while shooting 53.2% from the field, 44.7% from 3-point range and 89.1% from the free-throw line. He added 13 assists against Miami, handling the Heat’s double teams with ease. Miami blitzed him on seven possessions when he used an on-ball screen, and the Lakers scored on six of them.
Teammate Quentin Grimes described the run in vivid terms. “It just feels almost anything he shoots, whether it’s a circus shot or regular step-back 3, or it’s a tough floater, it just seems like everything he’s shooting is going to go in,” Grimes said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on the court when everything somebody shoots, you think it’s going in. So, kind of crazy little heater he’s on for sure.”
Lakers Offense Clicking
Lakers coach JJ Redick pointed to the team’s ball movement as well. Los Angeles finished with 39 assists, its most since Redick took over as coach in 2024-25. “It’s a really good offense that we’re playing right now,” Redick said. “And a lot of that, of course, is Doncic and what he’s able to do and bend the defense. And his shotmaking creates a lot of problems and then he can make every pass.”
Doncic deflected attention from his own performance and focused on the team’s position. Two weeks into the season, the Lakers have moved up to No. 4 in the Western Conference standings after going 2-0 in back-to-back games against Miami and the Toronto Raptors.
“Obviously when we win, it feels way better,” Doncic said. “But obviously, it feels good.”