Luka Doncic scored 53 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and said he is feeling great despite his heavy workload during the Lakers’ winning streak.
“As long as we win, I’m good,” Doncic said after leading Los Angeles to a 124-118 victory. The Slovenian star also explained why his late-game jumper with 28 seconds remaining mattered beyond the scoreboard.
“Oh yeah, definitely. You know, it changes, I think it changes the whole energy, you know, in the team and in the gym,” Doncic said. “So, I thought it was an important shot to make. So, that’s why I decided to make it.”
The Lakers had missed their first 15 three-point attempts before finding their rhythm. Doncic finished with five made threes on 15 attempts, while Los Angeles shot 30% from beyond the arc.
Asked about the team’s response after falling behind by 16 points, Doncic pointed to the belief inside the locker room.
“We were kind of playing from behind, you know, we talked in the locker room about belief and we all believe in each other,” he said. “Then we just came out, you know, for Blazers, I think they were number one offensively to score 15 points, you know, to show what we were capable of.”
Doncic also encouraged his teammates to keep shooting when they get open looks, regardless of previous misses.
“I think we missed a lot of open looks today. I think we have great shots,” he said. “I believe, and everybody believes, if somebody’s open, you’ve got to take a shot, no matter what. I don’t care, the team don’t care if you 0 for 10, if you’re open, shoot the next one.”
Despite the shooting struggles, the Lakers won their fourth consecutive game. Doncic said the team still has room to improve after the victory.
“I’m having a lot of fun, you know, obviously playing basketball, it’s a lot of fun for me,” he said. “It’s more when you play like this and when you win games.”
The 11-time career 50-point scorer also dismissed concerns about whether he can sustain his current production.
“Feeling great,” Doncic said when asked about his physical condition. “Oh yeah, I feel like that, you know, but as long as we win, I’m good.”
He has scored at least 40 points in six of his last seven games, including four consecutive outings. Doncic also joined Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and George Mikan as the only Lakers to reach 40 points in four straight regular-season games.
Doncic credited the team’s defense for its third-quarter turnaround against Portland, when Los Angeles scored 17 consecutive points.
“I think we have defended very well,” he said. “We have had 15 points in every quarter. So from that defense we have achieved 20 points in the attack.”
The Lakers visit Detroit on Sunday, November 8.
