Luka Dončić scored 53 points with five rebounds and five assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 in the NBA Cup. The game began on the morning of November 7 in Vietnam, corresponding to the evening of November 6 in the United States; the NBA lists its start at 03:00 UTC.
It was Dončić's fourth consecutive game with at least 40 points, according to the NBA. The Lakers improved to 8-2 at the time of the league's report and claimed their fourth straight win.
Third-quarter turnaround
The Associated Press report on NBA.com said Los Angeles had trailed by 16 points in the second quarter. Dončić scored 20 in the third, when the Lakers put together 17 consecutive points to erase Portland's lead and move ahead.
The Trail Blazers later cut the gap to four but could get no closer. AP on NBA.com reported that Dončić made a key jumper with 28 seconds remaining before he and Austin Reaves helped protect the lead.
Reaves scored 25 points and Walker Kessler added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Portland’s Deni Avdija finished with nine rebounds, 11 assists and 22 points, a scoring total matched by teammate Damian Lillard.
The Lakers avenged a 136-129 loss to Portland on October 27, US time. It was the 11th 50-point game of Dončić's career and his fourth with Los Angeles, AP on NBA.com reported.
A scoring run and Cup milestone
The NBA said Dončić became the first player since Donovan Mitchell in 2023 to record four straight games of at least 40 points. He joined George Mikan, Elgin Baylor and Kobe Bryant as Lakers players to achieve that streak.
His 53 points ranked second in NBA Cup history in the league's report, behind De'Aaron Fox's 60 in 2024. Dončić was averaging 40.1 points per game after facing Portland. That average and the Lakers' 8-2 record are snapshots from the report and can change with later games.