Doncic scores 53 as Lakers win; LeBron has quiet return to Cleveland

In NBA games on 7 November, part of the regular season of North America's professional basketball league, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-118 at home. Slovenian Luka Doncic scored 53 points, making it four games in a row with at least 40. The win lifts the Lakers' record to 8-2, level with the Houston Rockets at the top of the Western Conference table.

Doncic leads the league in scoring

Doncic is averaging 38.5 points per game, well ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the next-best scorer at 30.1. Against Portland he played 38 minutes and took a third of his team's shots. He made 14 of 18 free throws, 12 of 18 two-point attempts and 5 of 15 three-pointers. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three turnovers, and finished with a plus-minus of +16. The Lakers attempted 23 more shots than their opponents. Portland's best performer was Deni Avdija, with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.

LeBron held under ten in Cleveland

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 at home. LeBron James, facing his first NBA team, scored eight points and committed seven turnovers. The last time he scored fewer than ten in Cleveland was on 29 December 2004, a day before his 20th birthday. James played for the Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018, and won one NBA championship with the club in Cleveland.

Other results

The San Antonio Spurs won 124-109 away at the Sacramento Kings. Victor Wembanyama scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 26 minutes.