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TrendRundown › Sports · updated Nov 3, 12:23 AM EST

Luka Dončić

Why it is trending in America today

Dončić scores 45 in Lakers win and speaks on improved defense


Luka Dončić
Luka Dončić. Photo: U.S. Embassy Ljubljana / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Luka Dončić is trending after he scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and recorded five steals in the Lakers' 131-125 home win over Toronto on Sunday, Nov. 1. Talk afterward centered on his defense, which he said had improved this season.

Trending in the US since Oct 25, 7:30 PM EDT · about 2K+ searches · covered by 8 news outlets

The story behind it

Dončić has been on a strong scoring run. Coverage of the Toronto game said he had scored 52 points in the game before it, and averaged about 39.6 points over his last five games.

After the game, Dončić said he was not the best defender in the league but believed he had taken a clear step forward this year. Coach JJ Redick and new Lakers center Walker Kessler both spoke well of his defense. Kessler was brought in during the offseason to strengthen a defense that ranked 20th in 2025-26.

The background

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25 — Dončić delivered a 45-point, 15-rebound, five-steal game against Toronto on Sunday, and the Lakers won 131-125 at Crypto.com Arena. He also made eight 3-pointers, and the Lakers improved to 5-2. Scottie Barnes scored 29 points for Toronto.

The conversation after the game focused less on his scoring and more on his defense. Dončić said he was still not the top defender in the league but felt he had grown in that area this season. Several outlets also noted that his five steals and three charges drawn led to eight Raptors turnovers. The Lakers had lost to Golden State to open the NBA Cup group stage, so the win mattered for the team's record.

What happens next

The Lakers were scheduled to play the Miami Heat on Monday, Nov.

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Key facts

  • Dončić scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had five steals on Sunday, Nov. 1.
  • The Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 131-125 at Crypto.com Arena.
  • Dončić made eight 3-pointers in the game.
  • He said his defense had taken a step forward this season.
  • Lakers coach JJ Redick and center Walker Kessler praised his defense.

Updated Nov 3, 12:25 AM EST.

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Trend data

Luka Dončić started trending in the US on Oct 25, 7:30 PM EDT, reaching about 2K+ Google searches. 8 news outlets covered it in our feed, including Yahoo Sports, NBA.com, ESPN. The earliest report we found came from Yahoo Sports at Oct 24, 11:56 PM EDT. This topic has trended on 2 different days.

Search interest while it trended

Sources: ESPN · NBA.com · Yahoo Sports · The New York Times · Sports Illustrated · CBS Sports · Los Angeles Times · NBC Sports · espn.com · silverscreenandroll.com · thescore.com · sports.yahoo.com