The Lakers have won seven straight games and appear to be gathering much-needed momentum with the playoffs on the horizon.
Los Angeles is third in the West after Wednesday’s win over the Rockets with head-to-head tiebreakers over the other teams battling in the middle of the standings. While March can be a tricky month in the NBA calendar as far as identifying what’s real and what’s a mirage, the Lakers have been undeniably excellent. What’s more, their improvement on the defensive end throughout the streak is perhaps the most meaningful development as far as projecting how the postseason will play out.
But the biggest story of the streak, and the most fun? Luka Dončić is on an absolute heater.
Last night’s win in Houston is a great demonstration of the dominance that’s been on display while the Lakers rip off win after win. Dončić put up 40 points on 12-for-25 shooting to pair with 10 assists and nine rebounds. Those are big-time numbers on their own. But in the last three minutes Dončić willed Los Angeles to a win and made it look all too easy.
With the score at 110–109, Dončić accounted for L.A.’s next 10 points. He started off by sinking a 26-foot three-pointer after spinning away and stepping back from his defender. Then he split a double team by dribbling behind his back and finished with a no-look alley-oop to Rui Hachimura. A few possessions later Dončić again spilt the double with a remarkable move again before finding LeBron James for another ‘oop. Finally the Slovenian superstar said good night to the Rockets with a nasty step-back three after putting Jabari Smith Jr. in a blender.
It was a tremendous display of basketball excellence.
Luka Doncic lobs it to LeBron James for the clutch alley-oop dunk and then hits the step back 3 dagger over Jabari Smith Jr. (with replays)
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 19, 2026
UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/PoogNy9erU
It is not breaking news that Dončić can burn hotter than anybody in the NBA when he’s rolling. In fact, we’ve seen plenty of sequences like this from the 27-year-old star since he entered the league in 2019. But he’s been doing this for nearly two straight weeks.
Dončić’s hot streak right now is driving the Lakers to win after win. It’s also more impressive than what his counting stats, or even your own eyeballs, might tell you.
Luka Dončić’s stats during Lakers’ win streak are ridiculous
That isn’t to say his counting stats are to be dismissed. Far from it. Throughout L.A.’s impressive hot streak, Dončić is averaging 38.1 points per game along with 9.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He’s shooting 40.4% from beyond the arc and averaging 5.7 three-pointers made per game. Not attempts! Dončić is sinking nearly six threes per game right now. Absurd. Overall he’s shooting 48.6% from the floor and making an average of 12.7 shots per game.
Ridiculous stats. MVP-level stuff. But peek beneath the hood at the advanced numbers and they paint an even more outrageous picture of Dončić’s scalding couple of weeks (all stats via NBA.com).
Dončić leads the NBA with 267 points scored in the last seven games; the next-closest player is Devin Booker with 237. The Lakers have outscored opponents by 73 points in Dončić’s minutes on the floor. His individual offensive rating of 121.4 is higher than any other team’s offensive rating across the course of the season. The Slovenian superstar is averaging a whopping 19 assists per 100 possessions over the last seven games.
But wait—there’s more! Dončić is averaging 19.9 points created via assists during this stretch; when combined with his PPG, the star Laker is accounting for 58 points a night for Los Angeles. Given the Lakers are averaging 121 points per contest during this stretch that adds up to Dončić personally having a hand in nearly half of his team’s points every night. He’s making nearly 80% of his attempts within five feet while shooting 43% on shots from 25–29 feet—several steps behind the three-point line. And he’s taking over 11 of those shots per game!
As always, advanced stats of this ilk have to be taken with an iota of salt. A seven-game sample size isn’t very big and these stats usually help paint around the edges of the picture but don’t tell the whole story on their own. In this instance, though, they do a great job emphasizing just how awesome Dončić has been lately and how there’s nothing surface-level about his dominance.
The Lakers’ streak is at risk on Thursday night; they’re slated to play the Heat after last night’s thriller in Houston and reportedly didn’t arrive in Miami until 4 a.m. ET. But Dončić’s outrageous stretch will not be forgotten even if Los Angeles loses its first game since Mar. 5.
More NBA from Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Suns-Spurs, Luka Doncic, Paolo Banchero)
- Cade Cunningham’s Injury Shifts the Balance of Power in East With Playoffs on the Horizon
- JJ Redick Feels Like a ‘Loser’ Watching LeBron James Turn Back the Clock Again
- Pistons Star Cade Cunningham Diagnosed With Collapsed Lung, Will Miss ‘Extended’ Time
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Dončić’s Stats Powering Lakers’ Seven-Game Win Streak Are Even More Absurd Than You Realize.
