When Luka Doncic finally returned after a three-game absence, the impact was immediate. The Lakers guard scored 44 points in a 117-112 win over the Grizzlies, becoming only the second player, after Wilt Chamberlain, to open a season with three straight 40-point games. Like us, watching courtside, teammate Jake LaRavia could only marvel, later admitting how wild it is to play alongside the Slovenian.

LaRavia pulled no punches when describing the challenge of being teammates with Doncic. “Honestly, sometimes it’s hard playing with Luka because he’ll do a move that’s so crazy and I’ll want to react while I’m on the court and I can’t because I got to get back on defense,” the Lakers’ Number 12 said. Well, you can’t deny but accept that fact when someone is averaging 45+ points in the league.

Hard to play, but watch? ” It’s so fun watching them play. They’re such talented players. AR and Luka, they lead the team every time we step out there on the court. They are just a force. It’s really tough to guard them,” he acknowledged. The forward wasn’t exaggerating about Doncic’s crazy moves either.

In the third quarter alone, with the Lakers clawing their way back from being down 15 at halftime, Doncic dropped 16 points to shift the entire momentum of the game, forcing defenders to make split-second decisions while keeping them completely off balance.

What made Doncic’s performance even more stunning was that he wasn’t sure of playing that day. Instead, Doncic flew to Memphis on Thursday, participated in a shoot-around on Friday morning, and went straight into the starting lineup to reclaim the offensive load from Austin Reaves. LA’s newfound star was sidelined with a left finger sprain and a lower left leg contusion.

Reaves had been the lone star all week, carrying the Lakers through three straight wins without Doncic and without LeBron James, who continues to deal with right sciatica. But when it came time to open NBA Cup play, Doncic was back to lead the Lakers. Reaves finished with 21 points in the victory, including nine made free throws.

While the team had individual brilliance in bits and pieces, it was Doncic who controlled the pace and rhythm from start to finish, especially after halftime when everything shifted.

The moment everything changed for the Lakers in Memphis

The first half told a completely different story. Memphis came out firing and turned the second quarter into a showcase, dropping 42 points in that frame alone and going 16-for-27 from the field during that stretch. That 27-4 run late in the half gave the Grizzlies a commanding 69-55 lead at the break, and for a moment it looked like the Lakers might be caught off guard by a Memphis team desperate for a statement win.

But Luka Doncic had other ideas, and with the score already feeling like it might slip away, the Lakers star flipped a switch in the third quarter that nobody on Memphis could stop.

Doncic shot 51.9 percent from the field, knocked down 6-for-15 from three-point range, and most impressively, went 10-for-13 from the free-throw line, showcasing aggression that pushed the Grizzlies out of the contest. Ja Morant, Memphis’ own superstar guard, finished with just eight points on 3-for-14 shooting, making Doncic’s dominance feel even more pronounced in the statement win.