Luka Dončić delivered one of the most complete performances of his career Sunday night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-101 win over the Toronto Raptors with 39 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals, one blocked shot and three drawn charges.
According to ESPN, Dončić is the first player to record five steals and three drawn charges in the same game since player tracking began in the 2013-2014 season.
Lakers coach JJ Redick praised the performance after the game. “He’s been awesome on defense,” Redick said. Teammate Walker Kessler echoed the sentiment. “Five steals and three charges. Incredible. You know, incredible. Luka doesn’t get enough credit for his defense.”
When told of the praise, Dončić responded with a smile and two words: “Oh, finally.”
The performance comes amid a scoring tear that has made Dončić the NBA’s leading scorer this season at 37.7 points per game. That mark ranks as the fifth-highest points total through six games in league history, and the most since Michael Jordan in the 1986-87 season. It also surpasses his own franchise record of 37 points per game through six games last year.
Defense has long been cited as Dončić’s weak point, a criticism that followed him when the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Lakers in February 2025. But Sunday’s game showed a different side: he was stripping the ball from opponents, deflecting passes in the lane, and leaping to break up errant throws.
He showed similar commitment in an Oct. 25 win over the Utah Jazz, a 132-123 Lakers victory in which Dončić finished with 52 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. With 3:55 remaining and the score tied at 116-116, he took a charge from Jazz point guard Keyonte George, a play that sparked a 16-7 Lakers run.
“I think taking a charge in general is just a form of leadership, right?” Redick said. “You’re putting your body on the line for the team.”
Dončić said the shift in approach is deliberate. “Before last season, I don’t think I had maybe five charges in seven years, or six years,” he said. “So, that gets everybody fired up. … I just wanted to get better at that and three charges is not bad for one game.”
Redick struggled to describe just how dominant Dončić has looked on offense this season. “It feels like a supernova but it also feels normal,” he said. “We live on a spaceship and we’re going at the speed of light at all times when he’s on the court. When he has it going, you know, … it’s like pick your poison because he can just make any shot.”
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