Luka Dončić keeps finding new ways to stun a crowd. The Slovenian dropped 53 on Portland on Friday night, and Los Angeles won the NBA Cup group-stage contest 124-118. That makes eleven half-century nights in his career, four of them in purple and gold.
The game swung on a shot nobody plans. Los Angeles had been down by as much as 16 before the break when Dončić, trapped with seconds on the clock, flung the ball from deep inside Portland’s half and banked it home at the buzzer. Asked about it later, he deadpanned that the moment mattered, so he “decided to make it”. A 20-point burst after halftime followed, and he ended the night 17-for-33 shooting with five boards and five assists.
The finish was nervy. A double-digit cushion shrank to four late on before Dončić calmly dropped in a short floater with 28 seconds to go. Austin Reaves chipped in 25, Walker Kessler posted a 16-and-12 double-double, and on the other side Deni Avdija and Damian Lillard managed 22 each. It was sweet revenge, too: the Blazers had won at Crypto.com Arena when the sides met in October.
Through ten games Dončić is scoring 40.1 a night, yet he refused to get carried away, pointing out that 72 games still remain.
Across the country, LeBron James endured a miserable homecoming. Making his first visit to Cleveland in a 76ers jersey, the 41-year-old heard jeers early on and finished with just eight points, hitting three of his 12 attempts, as the Cavaliers coasted 119-95 with Donovan Mitchell top-scoring on 23.
