Is Luka Dončić already an MVP lock? Lakers star continues torrid start with 53-point outburst - USA Today

LOS ANGELES – Walker Kessler had as good a look as anybody inside Crypto.com Arena at the biggest shot of the night.

The Los Angeles Lakers big man grabbed a Sidy Cissoko airball with six seconds left in the first half, handed the ball to Luka Dončić, set a screen for him and let the Luka Magic happen from there. Dončić launched a 62-footer from the top of the opposite key. The crowd held their breath with what felt more like anticipation than anxiety as the ball floated high in the air before coming back down and banking into the net for yet another unreal buzzer-beater.

"He's incredible to watch," Walker said after the Lakers' 124-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. "He's incredible to play alongside. He's my MVP. I think it's pretty clear right now."

Trail Blazers head coach Micah Nori had the utmost praise for Dončić when he spoke with reporters at Crypto.com Arena on Friday afternoon, saying the Slovenian superstar "can do anything in the world."

Dončić proved his opponent's point in the closing seconds of the first half.

What made the shot even more notable, perhaps, was that the Lakers had collectively struggled shooting the ball up to that point, starting 0-for-15 from 3-point range and falling behind by as many as 16. Dončić's shot at the end of the half was just LA's fourth make from deep in 23 attempts; it also sent the Lakers into the locker room having cut the Portland lead to just seven points.

"I think it changes the whole energy, in the team and in the gym. I thought it was an important shot to make," Dončić said before cracking a smile. "So that's why I decided to make it."

But it's not just Dončić who has an unshakeable confidence when it comes to that kind of shot, which he works on meticulously after practices and shootarounds. His teammates are starting to expect them to go in.

"At this point, it's pretty normal for him," Jake LaRavia said. "It's high difficulty for a lot of players, but it's pretty easy for him. I feel like he's just been playing at such a high level. Incredible offensive talent."

And true to what Dončić expected, a switch flipped for the rest of the night.

The Lakers dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Trail Blazers 34-15 in the frame behind 20 points from Dončić, who has now dropped at least 40 in four consecutive games, joining Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan as the only players in franchise history to do so. Dončić finished the night with a season-high 53 points, five rebounds and five assists. That brings his average up to an unthinkable 40.1 points per game, something that hasn't been accomplished since Wilt Chamberlain.

"I'm having a lot of fun," Dončić said. "Obviously playing basketball, it's a lot of fun for me. It's more when you play like this and when you win games. It's been like this my whole life. Basketball was my dream. Playing in the NBA was my dream."

The 27-year-old has completely kicked in the door and is dominating the early MVP conversation amid this historic hot streak.

Dončić currently leads Lorenzo Reyes' NBA MVP rankings, and a performance like the one on Friday only furthers the hold Dončić has on the top spot. Just listen to the multiple "M-V-P" chants that echoed through the building at various points in the night.

Not that MVP discussions have much meaning at all 10 games into an 82-game season. Head coach JJ Redick himself said pregame he doesn't get into those talks until they're at least 50 games in. But the level Dončić has been playing at makes it hard not to at least acknowledge it.

Redick, who has previously called Dončić a supernova, was asked if he's running out of superlatives to describe his best player. His response?

"Sure. I'm gonna just sit around and we'll gather one day, come up with more superlatives so I have more words ready," he said sarcastically. "For now, I don't have any words."

The Lakers look like the real deal early on. Their chemistry is off the charts; that much was on full display with their 17 total assists on Friday, or in Kessler's 16-point, 12-rebound night, or Austin Reaves' 25 points.

But Dončić has been the engine behind it all. He's playing like the best player in the NBA, and the team is that much better because of it.

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