NBA season giving thanks
For Thanksgiving, we talked about all the things we’re thankful for this NBA season.
Smoke is not curling from Luka Doncic’s fingertips, but it’s fair to say he’s been on fire during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Doncic finished the first quarter with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
Incredibly, the Lakers still trailed 38-37 at the end of the quarter, but count on Doncic to keep shooting.
Doncic had a game-high 32 points by halftime, with the Lakers leading 69-66. Though his pace cooled after the first quarter, well, you can’t score when you don’t shoot.
In the first quarter, he took 14 shots from the floor. In the second quarter, he took only three. But here’s some context:
Doncic spent the first 4:20 of the second quarter on the bench. He scored his first points of the quarter with 6:16 left when he got fouled while making a jumper and made the free throw for a three-point play.
He’d boosted his point total to 39 points after three quarters, within 10 points of his single-game high with the Lakers (49 points against Timberwolves last month). He was only 3-for-9 from the floor in the third quarter, but showed his versatility while dishing out five assists.
The outburst shouldn’t be a shock considering Doncic entered the game leading the league in scoring at 34.5 points per game.
(For the record, Doncic’s career-high is 73 points, which he scored in the Dallas Mavericks’ 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 26, 2024.)
Luka Doncic stats tonight vs. Clippers
After three quarters:
Points: 39FG: 14-for-26 (7-for-12 from 3)Free Throws: 4-for-6Rebounds: 8Assists: 11Steals: 1Blocks: 1Turnovers: 3Fouls: 2Minutes: 32