Luka stays hot with 42, earns high praise from Giannis that 'some people are scared to say'

• Dave McMenaminNov 3, 2026, 02:54 AM ET

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  • Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
  • Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

LOS ANGELES -- Luka Doncic's volcanic scoring spree continued Monday with 42 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 138-117 win over the Miami Heat.

Doncic's fourth 40-plus-point game in his last five outings raised his league-leading scoring average to 38.8 points per game.

And the performance prompted heady praise from Miami star Giannis Antetokounmpo -- who is averaging the fourth-most points this season, but still nearly 10 fewer than Doncic (28.4 PPG).

"Obviously, he's one of the best scorers to play this game, if not the best," Antetokounmpo said after L.A. improved to 6-2 with the win over the struggling Heat (2-5).

A reporter interrupted Antetokounmpo's answer, hoping for additional context for the two-time MVP's claim.

"Right now?"

"Not right now," Antetokounmpo replied. "Not right now. Of all time. I feel like some people are scared to say that, but he's got to be up there."

Coming from a guy with nearly 22,000 career points and positioned No. 41 on the all-time scoring list -- just a spot behind Larry Bird -- that's saying something.

But there are numbers that support Doncic's case. Like his career scoring average of 29.32 points per game being right there behind only Michael Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07).

Or how the Miami win was Doncic's fifth straight game with 20-plus points in the first half of a game, becoming the first Lakers player to do so since Kobe Bryant in 2007.

Or how the 27-year-old star is on pace to earn his second straight scoring title and third of his career.

Or how his career playoff scoring average of 30.9 points per game is even better than his regular-season mark.

"It just feels almost anything he shoots, whether it's a circus shot or regular step-back 3, or it's a tough floater, it just seems like everything he's shooting is going to go in," said Doncic's teammate Quentin Grimes. "So, it's kind of one of surreal things that I don't think I've ever been on the court when everything somebody shoots, you think it's going in. So, kind of crazy little heater he's on for sure."

In Doncic's last five games, he's averaged 43.4 points while shooting 53.2% overall, 44.7% from 3 and 89.1% from the free throw line.

He added 13 assists Monday, handling Miami's double teams with ease: Doncic was blitzed when using an on-ball screen seven possessions against the Heat and the Lakers scored on six of those.

"It's a really good offense that we're playing right now," Lakers coach JJ Redick said, pointing out the Lakers' 39 assists were the most they've had since he took over as their coach in 2024-25. "And a lot of that, of course, is Doncic and what he's able to do and bend the defense. And his shot-making creates a lot of problems and then he can make every pass."

Doncic had little to add about his personal play, instead focusing on the Lakers moving up to No. 4 in the Western Conference standings two weeks into the season by going 2-0 in their back-to-back against Miami and the Toronto Raptors.

"Obviously when we win, it feels way better," Doncic said. "But obviously, it feels good."

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and ESPN Research contributed to this report.