Luka Doncic returns and Lakers get a road win at Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Luka Doncic didn’t celebrate when he sank his first half-court heave during warmups. He didn’t gloat when coaches dutifully dropped to the court to pay the push-up price.

The Lakers’ superstar just makes greatness feel expected.

Doncic’s 44 points, 12 rebounds and six assists led the Lakers to a 117-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at FedEx Forum as he returned from a three-game absence.

With a third consecutive 40-point performance, the 26-year-old guard is just the second player in NBA history to open a season by scoring 40 points in each of his first three games. Wilt Chamberlain is the other.

“Jesus,” Doncic said when he heard Chamberlain scored 40 points in seven and five games to start two different seasons.

“If we get a win, I feel even better,” Doncic added. “That’s the whole point: trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it’s going to be scoring, sometimes other things.”

Doncic is averaging 45.4 points per game with 11.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and shooting 58.4% from the field in three games. When teammates glance up at the scoreboard and see his scoring pace, even they can be surprised. That’s how effortless Doncic makes it look.

“Fantasticness,” guard Marcus Smart of Doncic’s play. “It’s been great to watch.”

The only thing that’s slowed him down is injuries: a left finger sprain and a left leg contusion suffered in the second game of the season in which he still put up 49 points.

He was initially supposed to be reevaluated in a week after being injured on Oct. 24 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he progressed faster than expected with round-the-clock treatment.

After missing the Lakers’ thrilling win in Minnesota on Wednesday, Doncic rejoined the team Thursday in Memphis and promptly went to the gym with coaches and staff members. Doncic and guard Marcus Smart, who also returned after missing two games with a left quad contusion and scored 12 points with four assists and two steals, went straight into the starting lineup.

Doncic returned like he never left. He scored 16 points in the third quarter to lead the Lakers (4-2) back from a 14-point halftime deficit. Austin Reaves, who has starred as the Lakers still won two of three games in Doncic’s absence, finished with 21 points.

Doncic was hitting step-back threes and hopping on one leg as he admired the arc on his shot. He pivoted around and through a double team and faded away deep in the shot clock, ready to sink Memphis’ hopes with his signature jump shot. But instead of shooting, he dumped off a pass to a wide-open Deandre Ayton, who scored on a wide-open layup.

Doncic split a double team with a slick behind-the-back dribble that drew oohs and ahhs from the Memphis crowd. The crafty finish at the rim put the Lakers up by four. Hometown fans wondered how the Grizzlies were staying so close when it felt like Doncic had the game on a string.

While Doncic was carrying the Lakers, the Grizzlies (3-3) fought back as a unit.

Memphis answered with 19 consecutive points. Redick, who claimed he didn’t raise his voice at halftime, but still spoke to his team sternly in not-safe-for-work language, credited the Grizzlies players for simply playing harder than the Lakers.

“So we challenged them at halftime,” Redick said, “and it was like watching two different teams.”

Doncic opened the third quarter with a three-pointer. Reaves followed with another. The Lakers flipped the halftime deficit to a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter despite playing the entire second half without Ayton.

Ayton did not return after halftime as he dealt with back spasms. He told reporters in the locker room that he had been battling them all day after the team’s morning shoot-around and he reaggravated the injury on an alley-oop play. He was available to play in the fourth quarter when he returned to the bench with trainers using massage guns on his lats and applying a heat pack to his back, but the Lakers didn’t need him.

Doncic’s magic was more than enough.