The Los Angeles Lakers fell short Thursday night in a 126–106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, but superstar Luka Doncic made some franchise history along the way.
Doncic, who tallied 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting (7-of-13 from three-point range) with 11 rebounds, became the third player in Lakers history to notch at least 45 points, 10 rebounds and five three-pointers in a single game.
The other two players to accomplish the feat? Doncic's current teammate LeBron James, and the late Kobe Bryant, who did it three times across his 20 years in Los Angeles.
Lakers players with 45+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ three-pointers in a single game
Although he made Lakers history, the 45-10-5 stat line is nothing new for Doncic. The 26-year-old star tallied at least 45 points, 10 rebounds and five three-pointers six times over his seven seasons with the Dallas Mavericks from 2018 to '25, including a game this season Dec. 15 against the Golden State Warriors.
That stat line has been achieved by just two players this season—Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks (Nov. 13 against the Chicago Bulls) and Doncic, twice.
Doncic had a monster first half Thursday night, scoring 29 points and draining five three pointers—including a ridiculous trey off one foot—in 20 minutes. The Lakers, however, trailed by eight points at halftime and were outscored 31–19 in the third quarter as they limped to a 20-point loss on the road.
While Doncic was responsible for the bulk of the Lakers' offense with James out, the Bucks used a well-balanced attack to take down Los Angeles, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 points), Brook Lopez (23), Damian Lillard (22) and Kevin Porter Jr. (22) all scored at least 22 points in Milwaukee's win.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Joins Kobe Bryant, LeBron James in Lakers History With Monster Stat Line.
