It was supposed to be Walker Kessler’s night, but Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic told his guys something important.
I got this.
Doncic, 27, continues to amaze as he ramps up his ninth NBA season. After missing the final few games of last regular season and all of the playoffs, Doncic, incredibly, is already looking like he is in midseason form after the Lakers’ come-from-behind win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, rallying the team to a 3-0 record, with the Lakers now among four teams in the Western Conference that have won their first three games.
Luka Doncic Sends Out Post After Guiding Lakers to Win
There is nothing new about Doncic exploding for a ton of points. This one just feels a bit better because it is the first of those Luka Magic scoring performances of the season. Doncic, who is averaging 34.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists in three games this season, registered 52 points in Sunday’s win, collecting the ninth 50-point game of his career. After the Lakers’ 132-123 win, Doncic did something he hasn’t in over a year — reply to a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Doncic replied with a sunglasses emoji to former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who wrote, “Luka with a cool 52 (points) and 10 (assists) on the lord’s day.”
Doncic doesn’t seem to engage much with what folks out there are saying, especially when talking heads like Perkins share their evaluation of a performance, but he replied to Perkins, who has been one of Doncic’s strongest supporters on TV.
L.A. Off to Strong Start
Meanwhile, the Lakers have looked the part to start the 2026 season, though some will point out that L.A. hasn’t played a single impressive opponent yet.
The Lakers are still 3-0, which has them in a five-way tie for the first seed in the Western Conference.
On Sunday, Kessler, who was acquired from the Jazz in a seismic offseason sign-and-trade, was quiet in his return to Utah, scoring just two points in 28 minutes of action.
Of course, there are still some things to figure out, starting with the back up center position. Although the Lakers are undefeated so far in this very young season, they will, in all likelihood, go out and try their best to find another big man for Doncic before the trade deadline in February.
But if Doncic keeps up what he did Sunday, once again showing that he is neck and neck with Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the best scorer in the world, the Lakers could go awhile without a frontcourt reinforcement.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Sends Confident Message After 52-Point Game vs. Jazz