By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind a historic scoring outburst from Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season to eight games with a 134-126 victory over the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on Thursday.
Despite being listed as questionable with right hip soreness, the 27-year-old Ljubljana native exploded for 60 points in 38 minutes. Doncic was nearly unstoppable after halftime, scoring 39 of his 60 points in the final two frames. He finished the night shooting 18-of-30 from the field, including 9-of-17 from beyond the arc, while adding seven rebounds, five steals, and three assists.
“I was tired,” he admitted during a postgame interview, regarding the 5 a.m. hotel arrival in Miami and his 100-point total over a back-to-back on the road. “We kind of played bad in the first half. We struggled, but we came back. This says a lot about the team. So, great win.”
The performance tied the second-highest scoring mark of his career and set a new record for points by an opponent in Miami. The NBA’s scoring leader has now reached at least 30 points in eight straight games and 50 points twice in his last five outings. “I feel like my three-ball is going well, and I’m attacking a lot in the paint. Just trying to read the game,” noted Doncic.
The night was also a milestone for LeBron James, who finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds, and ten assists. In doing so, he played his 1,611th career game, tying Robert Parish for the most regular-season appearances in NBA history.
While the Lakers remained without Germany’s Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain), several other European players featured prominently for Erik Spoelstra’s Heat. Sweden’s Pelle Larsson started and contributed 11 points, five assists, and two rebounds in 33 minutes, while Italy’s Simone Fontecchio added seven points and three rebounds in 19 minutes. Off the bench, Lithuania’s Kasparas Jakucionis tallied seven points, three assists, and two rebounds in 16 minutes. Serbia’s Nikola Jovic did not play, and Russia’s Vladislav Goldin remained on assignment in the G League.