Luka Doncic was sensational once again, scoring 49 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, his second straight 40-point game to start the season. But as head coach JJ Redick revealed after the game, the Slovenian superstar could have easily reached 50. In fact, Redick admitted he tried to make it happen four different times.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Redick laughed when asked about Doncic’s near-50-point performance.
“You know, I’m trying to get the guy 50. And I had already given him three chances. And I gave him a fourth chance. He gets fouled. And then he blows that, too. But no, he was awesome.”
The sequence became a lighthearted talking point after the game. Luka Doncic first missed a deep three-pointer that rimmed out, then passed up an open layup to hit Gabe Vincent, whose pass led to a three-second violation on Deandre Ayton.
Moments later, Austin Reaves found Doncic for a driving layup, but he couldn’t convert. Even then, Redick wasn’t done. He took the starters out but left Doncic in for one final possession to give him another chance at 50. Doncic drew a foul and went to the free-throw line needing both shots to reach the milestone, but he split the pair, finishing with 49 points before Redick finally called it a night.
During the timeout before that final attempt, Redick joked with Doncic about his hesitancy.
“You got four now. Because in the timeout, we were talking and I said, I’ve given you three chances. You passed up a layup. Gabe had a wide-open three. Love good to great. We don’t need to go good to great to great to great. Just take the shot.”
Even without the extra point, Doncic’s performance was historic. He became just the fourth player in NBA history, joining Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Anthony Davis, to open a season with back-to-back 40-point games. His final line: 49 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists on nearly 61% shooting.
Redick praised Doncic not only for his scoring but also for his composure and defensive effort.
“He managed the game really well. By that, I mean we needed him. We had to have him scoring early. They were making shots, we made some defensive mistakes, talked about it in a timeout. We did it against Golden State the other day, we just made stuff up.”
“You know, we’ve had enough practice now where we can stick to our rules, and if those rules don’t work, yeah, we can make an adjustment. And we started getting stops. They went to some blitzes, double teams, and he became a willing passer.”
“Defensively early, I thought they really attacked him. He responded to that. His defense, from halfway through the first quarter on, was really good. And then, you get 11 rebounds out of your point guard, that’s just awesome. So, just a complete, complete game from him tonight.”
Luka Doncic’s blistering start has quickly quieted any doubts about how well he would fit in Los Angeles. With LeBron James still sidelined, Doncic has carried the Lakers’ offense with remarkable efficiency and leadership.
His chemistry with Austin Reaves, who added 26 points and 11 assists, continues to grow by the game, giving fans hope that this partnership could define the next era of Lakers basketball.
Whether he finished with 49 or 50 hardly mattered. The message from Redick and from Doncic’s dominance was clear: this version of the Lakers is dangerous, and Luka is already in midseason form.
