Monday’s NBA action was once again fast and furious, and there was one undisputed star: Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Unfortunately, the day also had its fair share of misfortune as two athletic wings in Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic suffered what looked to be severe injuries.
With that in mind, here are the NBA’s notables for Monday:
Luka Doncic Drops 52 in Lakers’ Win vs. Jazz
The Los Angeles Lakers are now 3-0 after beating the Utah Jazz, 132-123, in Salt Lake City.
The Lakers’ third straight win was of the come-from-behind variety, and Luka Doncic led the comeback as he tallied 52 big points on 17-for-30 shooting to go along with 8 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals. Backcourt mate Austin Reaves provided solid support with 29 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 28 points, followed by Keyonte George’s 24 and Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 20.
Darius Acuff Jr. Sets Rookie Record
Sacramento Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. is letting it fly in his very first season in the NBA—perhaps a little too much.
On Monday, Acuff took 23 shots in the Kings’ 123-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at home but made just 7. He finished with 22 points and 7 assists and is now averaging 22.3 points per game.
However, the rookie point guard might want to be more judicious with his shot selection as he has accrued 73 field-goal attempts in his first three NBA games—the most shots ever by a rookie in his first three games in the league in the last 50 years. The previous high was Kevin Durant’s 64 back in the 2007-08 NBA season.
Jalen Williams, Jalen Suggs Felled by Injuries
Monday’s action was also marked by what look like serious injuries to the Thunder’s Jalen Williams and the Magic’s Jalen Suggs.
Williams appeared to have dislocated his right ankle after a bad fall off a hard foul while driving to the basket down the stretch of OKC’s 108-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at home. He was stretchered off the court. Prior to his injury, Williams had contributed 8 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
Suggs, on the other hand, suffered his injury in the fourth quarter of the Magic’s 111-102 win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The 6-foot-5 guard was going up for a slam on a two-on-one fast break when, on the gather, his right knee buckled without contact. Suggs had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals before the noncontact injury.
