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Luka Dončić scores 45 with a stat line the NBA had never seen, but the five steals and three charges are what he wanted to talk about
Luka Dončić had 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals and eight threes against Toronto, a first in NBA history, and drew three charges. “I know, and my team knows, that I'm better this year.”
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Luka Dončić scored 45 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 131-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. He wanted to talk about the three charges.
“Obviously, I’m not the best defender in the NBA, but I think this year I really took a step forward,” Dončić said. “People are going to talk what they want to talk. But I know, and my team knows, that I’m better this year.”
His line at Crypto.com Arena: 45 points on 12-of-23 shooting, 8-of-12 from three and 13-of-13 at the line, a season-high 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals and a block in 35 minutes, with seven turnovers and a plus-27. No player in NBA history had put up 15 rebounds, five assists, five steals and five threes in the same game.
Dončić’s 45-point, 15-rebound, five-steal night, posted by the NBA on X.
Four steals and two charges in the first quarter
The defense showed up early. Dončić had four steals in the first quarter alone, at 8:57, 7:45, 5:29 and 2:20, and drew two charges on RJ Barrett on his way to 16 first-quarter points. He took a third charge later, on Scottie Barnes. He is the first player with five steals and three charges drawn in one game since the league began tracking charges in 2013-14.
“It gets the whole team fired up,” Dončić said. “I just wanted to get better at that. And three charges is not bad for one game.”
Dončić on taking charges, posted by Spectrum SportsNet on X.
Jarred Vanderbilt watched it from the bench. “Those are game-changing plays, especially from one of our leaders, being able to step in front and take a charge,” Vanderbilt said. “It gets the whole team going. It changes the momentum in the game.”
JJ Redick called it something more. “I think taking a charge in general is just a form of leadership, right? You’re putting your body on the line for the team,” Redick said. “He’s trying to win.”
Walker Kessler, who had 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, said: “Five steals and three charges, incredible. Luka doesn’t get enough credit for his defense.” When Dončić was told what Kessler and Redick had said, he smiled and answered: “Finally.”
Dončić on his defense this season, posted by Spectrum SportsNet on X.
“You need three guys to guard him”
Dončić had 24 points at halftime, 13 more in the third quarter and eight in the fourth. Former Laker Sandro Mamukelashvili, who scored 11 for Toronto, saw both sides of it.
“You can tell he has pride,” Mamukelashvili said. “He has a will to not be labeled as that guy who you can just attack.” On the offensive end: “You need three guys to guard him.”
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic kept it short: “This year he came back in great shape. When he’s healthy and ready to go, he’s just unstoppable. Tonight, he was outstanding.”
A supernova, four games running
It was Dončić’s fourth straight game with at least 37 points: 52, 41, 37 and 45, an average of 43.8 over that stretch. It was also his 20th 40-point game in 98 regular-season games as a Laker, and his second with 40 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. No other Laker has had even one such game since at least 1982-83.
He has 226 points through six games, 37.7 per game, which leads the NBA. Since 1960, only Michael Jordan in 1986 and Wilt Chamberlain, twice, had 225 or more through their first six.
“It feels like a supernova but it also feels normal,” Redick said. “We live on a spaceship and we’re going at the speed of light at all times when he’s on the court.”
Redick on Dončić’s run, posted by Khobi Price on X.
The ending Redick won’t repeat
The Lakers led 102-76 late in the third quarter and 125-109 when Redick pulled his starters with 1:43 left. Toronto’s reserves scored 11 points in about 40 seconds to make it 125-120, and the starters had to come back in to close it. Scottie Barnes finished with 29 points and Barrett with 22. Austin Reaves added 19 for the Lakers, who committed 24 turnovers.
“I won’t make that mistake again,” Redick said. “I’ll leave the guys in. You gotta play to the final buzzer.”
It came two nights after blowing a 25-point lead at Golden State on Friday. The Lakers are 5-2, with Kawhi Leonard out for a fourth straight game.
“82 games, you’re not going to win everything,” Dončić said. “We just gotta learn from the losses and keep building.”
The Lakers host the Miami Heat on Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. PT (5 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time).
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