Mike Trudell

Meanwhile … Austin Reaves is clearly on an All-Star trajectory, ranking 11th in the NBA in scoring for the 9-2 Lakers on 50-40-90 shooting splits. His 43 against the league’s No. 1 statistical defense last night was an early highlight; he did something very similar last year, too, with an early 51-point explosion sans Luka: miketrudell10.substack.com/p…

Luka Dončić earned West Player of the Week honors for the 20th time in his career (5th as a Laker) after averaging 45.0 points (decent) on 52.5% FG’s plus 7.0 boards and 8.3 assists with 1.3 steals.

Luka Dončić, now averaging 40.1 points per game with 7.8 boards and 7.7 assists plus 1.7 steals, also leads the NBA in charges drawn (4) and is a +140 in 9 games (Lakers have outscored their opponents by 140 when he’s on the court).

Walker Kessler said he’s obviously biased, and it’s too early for MVP discussions, but he’s quite enjoying himself playing with Luka Dončić: “He’s incredible to play alongside. He’s my MVP. I think it’s pretty clear right now.

Luka said postgame that the 3/4 shot was certainly an important one from a momentum standpoint, which he felt in the locker room at halftime … and quipped, “That’s why I decided to make it.”

Luka's 2nd 50-point scoring night this young season comes on a contested bucket in the paint, putting the Lakers up 116-110 with 27.7 seconds left.

Lakers were in great shape up 12 with 3:32, but turned the ball over on 3 straight possessions, helping Portland get within 5 with 1:59 to play.

Luka's up to 49 points, with 3:32 to go.

A really impactful stretch of play from Jake LaRavia helped the Lakers punch back against a Portland run, as he hit a 3 (his 2nd), grabbed his 7th rebound, and then pushed and assisted a Reaves 3 to put LA up 103-91 with 5:25 to go in the 4th.

A quick 5-point swing here as LaRavia missed a pair of FT's, and Lillard hit a 3 on the other end to get Portland within 6. LA left him open too often in Portland's win in this building on Oct. 27, when he was 3 for 4 from 3 in the 4th Q.

Luka outscored the Blazers 20-15 in the 3rd Q that LA controlled at 34-15 to flip a 7-point halftime deficit into an 87-75 margin. Doncic has his 5th 40-point game in the last 6.

Cissoko flopped/exaggerated contact on an offensive foul called on Mamukelashvili, and Redick was quick to challenge. The refs agreed after reviewing the play, overturning the call on the floor and calling Cissoko for a flop, which mandates a technical FT (Luka make). LA up 9.

It's a 20-8 run for the Lakers to start the 3rd Q, and a 26-8 run if you include the end of the 2nd Q. As such, they lead 73-68.

Some crafty footwork with the ball from Luka (29 points), who circled around a screen while keeping his dribble to step back into a pull-up 3 from the top of the key that tied the game at 68. LA had trailed by as many as 16 in the first half.

Luka just buried a 62-foot shot from 3/4 court to beat the halftime buzzer with a light flick of his wrists. Ridiculous. That, on top of a corner 3 from Mamukelashvili with 25 seconds left, capped a 6-0 run to close the half, and got LA within 7, with some momentum.

Luka Doncic's 4th drawn charge of the season has him tied for the NBA lead with Draymond Green.

The Lakers, at long last, get a 3 to fall as Jake LaRavia hits from the corner. They'd been 0 for 15 since that make. Shooting can be contagious both ways.

Donovan Clingan picked up his 2nd and 3rd PF's in quick succession here and will have to sit for the remaining 9 minutes of the half, though Portland does lead by 12, and has one of the better backup C's in the league in Robert Williams III.