Luka Dončić Scores 308 Points in His First Eight Games, First Since Michael Jordan to Reach 300

Photo: The Dyme.

Luka Dončić scored 40 points on six threes, with nine rebounds and seven assists, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 116-103 on Wednesday night, per the NBA.com box score. It was his third straight 40-point game and his fourth in his last five. He has 308 points through his first eight appearances, the first player since Michael Jordan in 1988 to clear 300 through the first eight games of a season, per NBA.com's Starting 5.

By our count that is 38.5 points per game through eight. The window is Dončić's first eight appearances, not the Lakers' first eight team games. He has played eight of Los Angeles's first nine, per Sky Sports and TalkBasket. Jordan's 303 in 1988-89 is the same player-appearance window: the first eight games of that season for him.

Wednesday's box, and the 308

The official line from Golden 1 Center was 11 of 23 from the field, 6 of 13 from three and 12 of 13 from the line in 35:08, with nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block and six turnovers, per NBA.com. Austin Reaves added 21. Walker Kessler had 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. The Kings got 22 points and 12 assists from Darius Acuff Jr., 21 from Zach LaVine and 16 points and 17 rebounds from Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento fell to 1-7. TalkBasket notes it was also Los Angeles's third straight win after Dončić's 45-point, 15-rebound night in Monday's 131-125 win over Toronto.

That 40 moved Dončić to 308 for the season through eight appearances. Sky Sports and TalkBasket both put Michael Jordan at 303 through eight in 1988-89. By our count Dončić is five ahead of that mark. NBA.com's Starting 5 frames the same result: first player since Jordan in 1988 to score 300 or more through the first eight games of a season.

Who else cleared 300 through eight

Outside Dončić and Jordan, only Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry have opened a season with 300 or more through their first eight games, per NBA.com's Starting 5. Wilt is the only player who has scored more than Dončić's 308 in that window. He did it three times, with a high of 418 in 1962-63, per HoopsHype / AP's Josh Dubow, Sky Sports and TalkBasket. Barry sits on the 300-through-eight list with Jordan and Wilt; he does not sit above Dončić's total.

The comparison holds only if the sample is the same: a player's first eight games of a season. Dončić missed one of the Lakers' first nine, so the 308 is not padded by a ninth appearance and is not the team's first-eight total. The Lakers are 7-2 after nine games. Those are separate numbers. The 308 belongs to the eight nights he played.

Six straight at 35, 5, 5 and five threes

Next to the cumulative total is the streak NBA.com calls the longest of its kind in league history. Dončić has now posted six straight games with at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists and five made threes, per Starting 5. TalkBasket reports the same six-game floor and calls it a first in NBA history.

Wednesday's 40/9/7 with six threes cleared that floor again. The third straight 40-point game and the fourth in five sit inside the same six-game run, per NBA.com. The free-throw half of the box (12 of 13) is on the official sheet. The three-point half (6 of 13) is too.

NBA.com's Starting 5 also lists Dončić alone atop the league scoring list at 38.5 points per game. By our count that rate is 308 divided by eight. Holding either the total or the six-game floor over a longer sample is a later question. Through eight appearances, the sourced ledger is 308 points, five ahead of Jordan by our count, with only Wilt above him on the all-time first-eight list.

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Sources:

• NBA.com box score: Lakers at Kings, Nov. 4, 2026
• NBA.com Starting 5: November 5, 2026
• Sky Sports: Luka Dončić first since Michael Jordan to score 300 through first eight NBA games
• HoopsHype / AP Josh Dubow: Luka Doncic's 308 points are the most scored by a player in first 8 games since Wilt 418
• AP via First Coast News (Josh Dubow): Luka Doncic's 40 points lead Lakers past Kings 116-103
• TalkBasket: Luka Doncic drops 40, first since Michael Jordan to top 300 in 8 games