Luka Dončić didn’t disappoint in his preseason debut on Tuesday night.
While the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 113-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns, Dončić finished with 25 points in just 22 minutes of action.
He also recorded seven rebounds and four assists, shooting 7-of-15 from the field as well as 4-of-8 from three-point territory. While it’s important not to put too much stock into the plus-minus of a single preseason game, it’s still worth noting that the Lakers outscored the Suns by 11 points with Dončić on the floor.
Despite the defeat, fans were amazed with his performance.
Austin Reaves also looked sharp offensively, finishing with 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting while pulling down four rebounds and dishing out two assists.
Meanwhile, Bronny James recorded seven points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 22 minutes of action. James shot 3-of-8 from the field.
As for Dončić, expectations are high ahead of his first full season as a member of the Lakers.
The five-time All-Star is coming off an eventful summer in which he excelled at EuroBasket 2025 with Slovenia, averaging 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game on 45.8/32.1/87.8 shooting splits.
Los Angeles will open its 2025-26 regular season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.