Luka Doncic (LAL) is our Player of the Week for Week 1.
The Lakers opened their first season without LeBron James since 2017 with three wins in five days, and Luka Doncic made sure the new era started on his terms.
Opening night against Golden State set the tone. Doncic posted 28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals in under 30 minutes of a 127-105 rout, spending much of the night hunting rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and feeding Walker Kessler, who went 12 for 12 in his debut.
Two nights later against the Clippers, the rhythm was gone: 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting and a career-high 11 turnovers, a night he described himself as terrible. Austin Reaves and Kessler carried the Lakers to a 125-117 win.
Sunday in Salt Lake City was the answer. Down 18 early, the Lakers leaned on their star, and Doncic delivered 52 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, hitting eight threes and scoring 13 points in the final five minutes, including the three that tied the game at 116. It was the first 50-point game of the NBA season and only the third 50-point, 10-assist game in Lakers history, after Elgin Baylor and Jerry West.
Doncic opens the season #1 in our MVP model. The Lakers sit at 3-0, third in the West, with an 18% championship probability in our contender model.
| Date | Opponent | Result | MP | PTS | AST | REB | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | vs Golden State Warriors | W 127-105 | 29:42 | 28 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Oct 23 | vs Los Angeles Clippers | W 125-117 | 37:05 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 25 | @ Utah Jazz | W 132-123 | 38:26 | 52 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Stat | This Week | Season Avg |
|---|---|---|
| MP | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| PTS | 34.3 | 34.3 |
| AST | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| REB | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| STL | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| BLK | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| FG% | 46.4% | 46.4% |
| 3P% | 39.5% | 39.5% |
| TS% | 63.7% | 63.7% |
Our model also identifies daily value bets throughout the season. +13.5% ROI over 3 seasons of publicly tracked results.
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