The Lakers will rely more heavily on Dončić in the early going with LeBron James on the shelf due to sciatica. James is reportedly targeting a mid-November season debut, which gives Dončić about a month of runway as the unquestioned leader of the Lakers' lineup.

After a summer spent getting into top shape, excelling at EuroBasket and settling into Los Angeles, Dončić has become the fourth player in NBA history to begin a season with back-to-back 40-point performances — and he barely missed a triple-double twice, too.

Luka Dončić has been diagnosed with a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion and will be reevaluated in approximately 1 week, per the Lakers.

LeBron James was pretty bummed when Luka Dončić missed a free-throw with 3:05 remaining in Friday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. It meant that Dončić's second free throw would only take him to 49 points,

NBA coach throws major shade at Lakers roster while praising Luka Doncic's historic start originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Dončić became the first player in NBA history to begin the season with consecutive 40-point, 10-rebound and 5-assist games.

There's no indication that Nico Harrison's status as Dallas Mavericks general manager is in jeopardy right now, but team doesn't appear to be in a rush to extend his deal in the aftermath of the Luka Dončić trade.

The major storyline is Luka Dončić guiding the Lakers to a dominant win over a top-tier foe in the Western Conference, dispatching Minnesota by a final margin of 128-110. However, the Slovenian’s individual excellence is to be marveled at: