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Interactive: 4-2, then seven straight — how the Lakers got to 11-2 and the NBA’s best record, step by step
The Lakers have won seven in a row by a combined 72 points and sit at 11-2, the best record in the NBA. Luka Dončić’s 38.6 a game, two wins without him, a bench that scored 149 on the road trip, a fourth-quarter leak and Austin Reaves’ heel.
In this article
Austin Reaves (15) drives at Fiserv Forum during the Lakers’ 123-112 win over Milwaukee, Nov. 11, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Interactive · Los Angeles Lakers
4-2, then seven straight: how the Lakers got to 11-2 and the NBA’s best record, step by step
Seven wins by a combined 72 points, Luka Dončić at 38.6 a game, two wins without him, a bench that scored 149 on a three-game trip, a fourth-quarter habit that has cost 60 points, and now a wait on Austin Reaves’ heel.
The Lakers’ final-score graphic after the 123-112 win in Milwaukee, Nov. 11, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 1
Seven in a row, and first place
The Lakers beat the Bucks 123-112 in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. It was their seventh straight win, it finished a 3-0 road trip, and it moved them to 11-2.
That is the best record in the NBA. San Antonio, at 10-2 with 10 straight wins, is half a game behind them in the West, and Boston leads the East at 10-2.
0-2record, best in the NBA (.846)
0straight wins since Nov. 1
+0point differential in 13 games
“I’m fine. Obviously it hurts a little, but I’ll be okay. We managed to win three games in a row on the road, so that’s really good.”— Luka Dončić, after twisting his ankle late in Milwaukee
A Lakers dunk during the 124-114 win in Atlanta, Nov. 9, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 2
From 4-2 to 11-2
The start was uneven. The Lakers won three of their first four, then lost at home to Portland 136-129 on Oct. 27 and lost 112-95 at Golden State three nights later, when they made 11 of 39 threes.
They have not lost since.
- W 127-105 vs. Golden State. Walker Kessler goes 12 for 12.
- W 125-117 vs. the Clippers.
- W 132-123 at Utah. Dončić scores 52.
- L 136-129 vs. Portland.
- W 103-87 at the Clippers, without Dončić.
- L 112-95 at Golden State. 4-2.
- W 131-125 vs. Toronto. The streak begins.
- W 138-117 vs. Miami.
- W 116-103 at Sacramento.
- W 124-118 vs. Portland in the NBA Cup. Dončić scores 53.
- W 121-116 at Detroit, without Dončić.
- W 124-114 at Atlanta, without Reaves.
- W 123-112 at Milwaukee. 11-2.
Winning margin, the seven straight
0points per game in the streak
0allowed per game in the streak
+0combined margin
Luka Dončić (77) rises for a jumper at State Farm Arena, Nov. 9, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 3
Dončić at 38.6
Luka Dončić has played 11 of the 13 games and scored at least 23 in every one of them. He has 425 points and two 50-point games: 52 in Utah on Oct. 25 and 53 against Portland on Nov. 6.
In the six games of the streak that he played, he averaged 40.7.
0points per game
0assists per game
0rebounds per game
0threes made, 5.5 a game
Dončić’s points, game by game
He has made 60 of 147 threes, 40.8 percent. His 5.5 made threes a game are above Stephen Curry’s single-season record of 5.35 from 2020-21, though it is 11 games into a long season.
Austin Reaves during his 43-point night in Detroit, Nov. 8, 2026. Photo by NBA (X video still), resized.Chapter 4
Two wins without him
The two games Dončić missed are both wins.
On Oct. 28, a night after the loss to Portland, the Lakers rested him with back tightness on the second night of a back-to-back and won 103-87 at the Clippers. Quentin Grimes scored 23 and Collin Sexton had 21 off the bench. The Clippers shot 26 of 74.
On Nov. 8 in Detroit, with Dončić out again with lower back tightness, Austin Reaves scored 43 on 14-of-27 shooting. The Lakers led 38-14 after one quarter and held on 121-116.
0-0record without Dončić
0Reaves’ points in Detroit
0%Clippers’ shooting on Oct. 28
A night after Detroit, Reaves sat out in Atlanta with an illness, and the Lakers won anyway, 124-114, with Dončić posting 32 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.
Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) and Collin Sexton (11) after the win in Atlanta, Nov. 9, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 5
The bench found its range
The reserves have carried more of the load on the road. They scored 29.3 points a game in the first 10 games and 49.7 a game on the trip through Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee, including 55 on Wednesday.
Bench points, game by game
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 23 in Atlanta and 23 again in Milwaukee, where the Bucks once drafted him. He made 10 of 16 threes across the two games. Walker Kessler, the starting center, is shooting 67.5 percent and averaging 10.8 rebounds.
0bench points on the three-game trip
0/16Mamukelashvili’s threes, last two games
0%Kessler’s field-goal percentage
An overhead view of a Lakers layup in Atlanta, Nov. 9, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 6
Three quarters, then the fourth
The Lakers have outscored opponents in each of the first three quarters by a wide margin. The fourth is another story: they have been outscored 406-346 in fourth quarters.
Point margin by quarter, 13 games
Most of that is comfortable leads being given back. Toronto outscored them 43-27 in the fourth on Nov. 1 and cut a 22-point lead to six. Portland won the fourth 43-37 on Nov. 6. In Milwaukee, with both benches in, the Bucks closed on a 20-7 run.
+0margin through three quarters
−0margin in fourth quarters
Austin Reaves (15) goes up in Milwaukee before leaving with a left heel injury, Nov. 11, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 7
The cost in Milwaukee
The seventh win came with three scares. Reaves landed awkwardly after a missed fast-break dunk with 8:21 left in the third quarter, stayed in for three minutes, then took himself out with 5:20 left and did not return. He had 18 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in 25 minutes.
X-rays on his left heel were negative and JJ Redick said an Achilles injury had been ruled out. Dončić twisted his right ankle on a made three in the fourth quarter, and Sexton needed stitches near his temple.
“No update on AR until we’ll have imaging tomorrow.”— JJ Redick, after the win in Milwaukee
0Reaves’ points per game in 12 games
0%his field-goal percentage
Reaves was to have more imaging in Los Angeles on Thursday. When this story was published, the Lakers had not announced the results.
Collin Sexton (11) during the Lakers’ win in Atlanta, Nov. 9, 2026. Photo by Los Angeles Lakers, resized.Chapter 8
What comes next
The Lakers have three days off before their next game, which helps. San Antonio is half a game back and have won 10 straight.
- Reaves has imaging on his left heel in Los Angeles.
- At Phoenix, 4 p.m. ET (11 p.m. in Cairo). The Suns are 4-6.
0%Lakers’ three-point shooting, 183 of 478
0games ahead of San Antonio
Eleven wins, two losses, seven straight. The Lakers have won with Dončić, without him and without Reaves. Sunday in Phoenix will show how many of them are available for the eighth.
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