Overview
- Luka Dončić scored 52 points and added 10 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 132-123 road win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, lifting Los Angeles to a 3-0 start.
- The Lakers erased an 18-point second-quarter deficit with a second-quarter surge and late scoring from Dončić, while Austin Reaves finished with 29 points and hit a go-ahead three with 34 seconds left.
- Walker Kessler, who was traded to the Lakers in a costly sign-and-trade this offseason, returned to Salt Lake City and finished with two points and seven rebounds, a quieter game than expected.
- The Jazz dominated the glass early and finished with a large rebounding edge that produced many second-chance points, underscoring the Lakers’ ongoing issues on defense and on the boards.
- Dončić’s performance was the NBA’s first 50-point game this season, marked his 10th career 50-point regular-season game, and made him the first Laker since Elgin Baylor in 1963 to record 50-plus points with at least 10 assists.