Lakers' Luka Doncic in Wilt's club after another 40-point night - ESPN

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After Austin Reaves carried the Los Angeles Lakers as their solo star all week, Luka Doncic returned Friday to take the baton back with another 40-point performance in L.A.'s 117-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Doncic, who missed the previous three games with a sprained finger on his left hand and a lower left leg contusion that he thought might keep him out until at least Sunday, flew to Memphis separately to join the team Thursday and went on to pour in a game-high 44 points.

It was Doncic's third straight 40-point game to start his season after 43 on opening night against Golden State, followed by 49 against Minnesota, becoming the only player in NBA history other than Wilt Chamberlain to top the 40-point plateau in three straight games to begin his season. (Chamberlain did it twice — seven straight games in 1962-63 and five straight in 1961-62).

«I mean, I feel great,» Doncic said when asked about being included in such rare company with the basketball legend. «But obviously, if we get a win, I feel even better. So that's the whole point, trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it's going to be scoring, sometimes other things.»

He did other things, too, also leading L.A. with 12 rebounds and six assists as the Lakers fought back from a 15-point second-half deficit to win their first NBA Cup group play game, but it was the scoring that was most impressive — especially because of the other luminaries he joined with the performance.

Only Chamberlain, Doncic and Michael Jordan in 1986-87 scored 125 points or more in their first three games to start a season; Doncic has 136.

And, by averaging 45.3 points in his first three games, Doncic became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to