52 Points From Luka Dončić Covered a 19-4 Jazz Edge on the Offensive Glass in a 132-123 Lakers Win

Photo: NBA.com. Official Luka Dončić headshot, Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Dončić tied the game with a step-back three at 4:06 of the fourth quarter in Salt Lake City on Sunday, then hit two more from 29 and 28 feet inside the final two and a half minutes. He finished with 52 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on 17-of-30 shooting, the first 50-point game of the NBA season, per the AP, and the Lakers beat the Jazz 132-123 to move to 3-0.

The 52 is the headline, but in the box score Utah won the glass and took 13 more shots: the Jazz had 19 offensive rebounds to the Lakers' four and took 94 shots to 81, and Los Angeles survived only because it made 20 threes to Utah's 10.

Where the points came from

Split the scoring by shot type and the two teams barely look alike.

Inside the arc, Utah made 36 two-pointers and the Lakers made 20. That is 72 points to 40, a 32-point Jazz edge. From three, the Lakers went 20-of-47 and the Jazz went 10-of-35, a 30-point Lakers edge. At the line, the Lakers went 32-of-38 to Utah's 21-of-27, plus 11. Those totals come from the NBA.com box score, and the split is The Dyme's arithmetic: 40 plus 60 plus 32 is 132, and 72 plus 30 plus 21 is 123.

Dončić supplied eight of those 20 threes and 10 of the 32 free throws. Bleacher Report pointed out that his eight threes nearly matched Utah's entire roster.

The Jazz built the rest out of extra chances. They won the rebounding battle 51-30. Ace Bailey alone had six offensive rebounds, two more than the Lakers' entire roster. Utah also turned it over 17 times to the Lakers' 10, which handed some of those extra possessions back.

The first quarter was the warning

Utah led 47-29 after one quarter. The Los Angeles Times counted 16 second-chance points for the Jazz on six offensive rebounds in that quarter alone, and Bailey had five of those boards by the horn, per the NBA.com play-by-play.

Dončić scored 17 of the Lakers' 29 points in that quarter and played all 12 minutes. The Lakers were minus-18 in that stretch.

The Lakers gave up two first-round picks and two pick swaps to get Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade and signed him to a four-year, $130 million contract, per the Times. He averaged 24 points and 8.5 rebounds over the first two games. In his return to Utah he had two points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes and picked up his fourth foul with 7:38 left in the third quarter.

The comeback started with Dončić on the bench

The swing came in the second quarter, and the first half of it came without the man who scored 52.

Dončić sat from the start of the second quarter until 6:33. In those five and a half minutes the Lakers outscored Utah 18-11, and Austin Reaves scored 12 of the 18 after a scoreless first quarter, including two threes 43 seconds apart. Dončić came back in with the Lakers down 11 and they won the rest of the half 27-13.

He closed it himself. He hit a fadeaway with 34 seconds left and made the free throw for a three-point play, took the ball from Bailey on the next trip, and his pull-up three with five seconds left put the Lakers up 74-71 at the break. The Lakers won the quarter 45-24.

Reaves finished with 29 on 7-of-12 and 11-of-13 at the line. Dončić made two of his first eight threes, per the Times.

The last 7:53

The third quarter was a wash, 29-29, with Dončić scoring 14 and the Lakers up 103-100 heading to the fourth, per USA Today. He sat again to open the fourth, and the Lakers were up 110-108 when he checked in at 7:53.

From there the Lakers scored 22 points. Dončić scored 13 of them and assisted on six more: a Collin Sexton three at 7:04 and Reaves's dagger three with 34 seconds left. That is 19 of the last 22, by The Dyme's count from the play-by-play. The only Lakers points in that stretch he didn't create were three Reaves free throws. The Times also credited him with drawing a charge in the final minutes, and the play-by-play shows a Keyonte George charge at 3:55, with the game tied 116-116.

His plus-minus for the night was plus-3. The Lakers were plus-6 in the 9:34 he sat.

Why the formula matters for the unbeaten Lakers

The Lakers are unbeaten, and they hit 42.6 percent of 47 threes to stay that way on Sunday.

The Times reported that JJ Redick said Dončić is still finding his rhythm after skipping national-team play this summer. His previous game was 23 points, seven assists and 11 turnovers against the Clippers, per the Times. Sunday, he had four turnovers. Kessler and Kevon Looney combined for 33 minutes and eight rebounds.

Utah had real answers. Lauri Markkanen scored 28, George had 24 and 10 assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20. Rookie Darryn Peterson went 4-of-13 and 0-for-4 from three. The Lakers have won eight of their last nine against the Jazz, per the AP.

What's next

The Lakers host Portland on Tuesday, and the Jazz host Memphis on Monday, per Bleacher Report.

Sources

• AP: Luka Doncic scores NBA season-high 52 points in the Lakers' victory over the Jazz. Oct. 25, 2026. First 50-point game of the season; 14-5 go-ahead run; eight of the last nine against Utah.
• NBA.com box score, Lakers 132, Jazz 123 (Oct. 25, 2026). Player lines, shooting, rebounds, turnovers and plus-minus.
• NBA.com play-by-play, Lakers at Jazz (Oct. 25, 2026). Quarter scores, substitution times and the final 7:53.
• Los Angeles Times: Luka Doncic scores 52 points, hits several late clutch shots as Lakers rally to beat Jazz. Oct. 25, 2026. 18-point deficit, first-quarter second-chance points, Kessler's contract and foul trouble, Redick on Dončić's rhythm.
• USA Today: Luka Doncic, LA Lakers jump ahead of Utah Jazz after three quarters. Oct. 25, 2026. Dončić's 39 through three quarters.
• Bleacher Report: Luka Scores 52 as Lakers Beat Jazz. Oct. 25, 2026. Next games for both teams.
• Marc Stein on X. Oct. 25, 2026. First 50-point game of the 2026-27 season.

The Dyme split the scoring by shot type, counted the Lakers' points with Dončić on and off the floor, and tallied his share of the last 7:53 from the NBA.com box score and play-by-play.