SALT LAKE CITY — Luka Doncic entered Sunday looking to find his offensive rhythm.

He found it in abundance at Delta Center.

The Slovenian superstar guard dropped his first 50-point game of the season, leading the Lakers to a 132-123 win over the Jazz for their third straight victory to kick off the 2026-27 season. 

Doncic scored 52 points on 17-of-30 shooting, hitting a trio of 3-pointers late in the game’s precarious moments.

“Anybody that overreacts to him not making shots in the first two games, it’s the first two games,” Austin Reaves said. “That’s the same player who’s capable of doing amazing things on the court. It was a matter of time before he did what he did.”

Doncic’s first stepback 3 of the fourth tied the game at 116 with just over four minutes left.

The second and third 3s put the Lakers up by five and six, respectively, putting the Lakers in full control. 

By the time Doncic was at the free throw line with 12.5 seconds left to ice the game, “M-V-P” chants filled the Jazz’ home arena.  

He waved goodbye to Jazz fans in the crowd after assisting Reaves on a 3-pointer to put the Lakers up, 130-123, with 34 seconds left, while Reaves shushed the crowd.

“When he’s in the flow state,” coach JJ Redick said, “he gets into like showman mode, he’s on stage performing, and that’s always – it’s always really fun to watch.”

Doncic recorded 13 points of his scoring total in the fourth, with all of his fourth-quarter points coming in the final 4:06 of the game.

He shot 8-of-18 on 3s, and 10 of 11 on free throws, to go with 10 assists and 8 rebounds for a near triple-double.

Reaves added 29 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 4 assists, with 11 points of his scoring total coming in the final quarter.

Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle both scored 11 points, while Collin Sexton scored 13 points off of the bench in 20 minutes.

Walker Kessler struggled in his first game against his former team, finishing with more fouls (4) than points (2 on 1-of-2 shooting) after a hot start to the season.

The Lakers got off to a slow start, with Redick acknowledging during his halftime interview that his team wasn’t ready to play. 

The Jazz won the opening quarter by 18 points, taking a 47-29 lead going into the second quarter after dominating multiple areas of the game. 

They had six offensive rebounds, with Ace Bailey having five of them, and 16 second-chance points in the first. The Jazz scored 24 points in the paint and went 5-of-10 on 3s in the opening frame, with the Lakers struggling to contain the Jazz.

After being a brilliant third quarter team in the first two games, the Lakers didn’t wait until halftime to flip the game back in their favor.

They outscored the Jazz 45-24 in the second, with Reaves doing the heavy lifting, scoring 15 points to get the Lakers back in the game.

Doncic closed out the quarter by stripping Bailey on his drive to the rim before hitting a pull-up 3, giving the Lakers a 74-71 lead going into halftime after trailing by 18 earlier in the quarter.

The Lakers beat the Jazz despite being being dominated on the board, with the Jazz grabbing 19 offensive rebounds compared to the Lakers’ four, giving them a 32-11 advantage with second-chance points.

But the Lakers’ shooting advantage gave them the edge: They knocked down 20 3s compared to the Jazz’s 10.

Doncic entered Sunday with modest-for-his-standards averages: 25.5 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds, but shooting 38.5% from the field (35% on 3s).

His slow start to the season came he didn’t play for the Slovenian national team this past offseason, which created the longest stretch of time since he entered the NBA in 2018 that he went without playing an official basketball game.

The lack of offensive rhythm was palpable, and measurable.

“I’m still getting there, honestly,” Doncic said. “This is the first time I didn’t play basketball in six or seven months, which is a long time. So I’m not used to it. I’m still getting there. [Sunday] was a little bit better.”