Only one name sits above Luka Doncic through eight games of the NBA season: Wilt Chamberlain.
Doncic has 308 points so far, the most through the first eight games of a season by any player since Michael Jordan scored 303 in 1988-89, per Yahoo Sports. Chamberlain’s 418 points in the same span in 1962-63 remain out of reach, but nobody else in the last six decades has come as close as Doncic is right now.
The 40 he put up in Sacramento on Wednesday extended another streak too: six straight games with at least 35 points. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Kings 116-103, and Doncic finished with nine rebounds and seven assists on 11-of-23 shooting, 6-of-13 from three. He went 12 of 13 at the free throw line.
Only Chamberlain ahead
Austin Reaves backed him with 21 points, Walker Kessler added 15 and eight rebounds, and the Lakers moved to 6-3. Doncic has played in eight of the nine games.
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He gave a measured answer when asked whether this is the best stretch of his career.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I had some good stretches in my career. But obviously this could be one of the highest ones,” he told Yahoo Sports.
Doncic pointed to a full offseason as part of why the volume feels sustainable.
Three Kings in the 20s, still no contest
Rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 22 points and 12 assists for Sacramento, Zach LaVine added 21 and Domantas Sabonis posted 16 points with 17 rebounds. A double-double on the glass, three scorers past 20, and the game was still a 13-point loss at home.
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LaVine, who guarded Doncic in stretches, framed the gap simply to Yahoo Sports.
“Luka’s one of the most talented players of all time. I don’t think people give him enough credit for how good he really is.”
A week ago, the historical frame was different. After six games, Doncic had 226 points, making him only the third player since 1960 to reach 225 that fast, alongside Jordan in 1986 and Chamberlain twice, according to the NBA’s Starting 5 newsletter. Two games and 82 more points later, the Jordan comparison has shifted to 1988-89, and only Chamberlain’s 418 is still further up the list.
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