NBA Roundup: Doncic's 45, a Rookie's 37, and the Nets Finally Win One

This NBA roundup starts with Luka Doncic's history, detours through a rookie's breakout, and ends with the Nets finally winning a game. The league only put four games on the floor on Sunday, November 1, and every single one of them produced a headline worth the price of admission — Doncic's historic stat line in Los Angeles, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg's eruption in San Francisco, a contender quietly stacking wins in Orlando, and the last winless team in the league, Brooklyn, finally getting off zero in Indianapolis.

Start with the loudest one. Luka Doncic scored 45 points, grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, dished six assists and swiped five steals as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Toronto Raptors 131-125 at Crypto.com Arena, according to Reuters. Read that line again. Per USA Today, Doncic became the first player in NBA history to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, five steals and five 3-pointers in a single game — and he had already made history by halftime, becoming the first player in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) with 20 points, five rebounds, five 3-pointers and five steals in a half, and the first point guard ever with five steals and five threes in a half.

The Lakers needed every bit of it, which is the part that should make Los Angeles a little nervous. One night after blowing a 25-point lead in a loss at Golden State, the Lakers built a 26-point cushion on Toronto — 102-76 late in the third quarter — and still had to put their starters back in for the final minute after Toronto's reserves ripped off 11 points in 40 seconds to cut it to 125-120, the Associated Press reported. The Lakers shot 53.8 percent from the floor and 48.6 percent from deep but committed 24 turnovers. Austin Reaves added 19 points and Walker Kessler posted 16 points and 15 rebounds. Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 29 and RJ Barrett added 22 points and 10 rebounds, as the Raptors fell to 1-3 since Kawhi Leonard's knee injury, per Reuters. The win moved Los Angeles to 5-2. We broke down Doncic's night in full in our Lakers-Raptors wrap.

In Orlando, the Boston Celtics did what good teams do on the road: absorbed the run, then closed the door. Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 32 points — 8 of 19 from the field and a remarkable 15 of 17 from the free-throw line — as Boston beat the Magic 108-97 for its fifth straight win, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. Tatum's 15 made free throws matched Orlando's entire team total. Paul George added 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Boston. The night was not without a scare: Tatum left in the first quarter after a head collision left him bleeding, went to the locker room, and returned in the second quarter — then scored or assisted on nine straight Celtics points late in the fourth after Desmond Bane had cut the lead to 97-93, per the AP. Tristan da Silva and Anthony Black each scored 23 for Orlando, which fell to 2-4 and 0-3 at home. Boston is 5-1, and Neemias Queta's two blocks in the final two minutes sealed it. The full story is in our Celtics-Magic wrap.

Then there was San Francisco, where the Golden State Warriors rested Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the front end of a back-to-back — and it did not matter at all. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg drained six 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 37 points, and the Warriors beat the LA Clippers 124-112 for their fourth consecutive win, Reuters reported. De'Anthony Melton added 21 and Brandon Williams and Brandin Podziemski scored 17 apiece. Rui Hachimura hit four 3-pointers and led the Clippers with 24, but Los Angeles dropped its fifth straight game to fall to 1-5. Curry and Green are expected back Monday night when Phoenix visits. Lendeborg's breakout gets its own treatment in our Warriors-Clippers wrap — a rookie hanging 37 on a night the stars sit is exactly the kind of thing that changes a rotation conversation.

And finally, Indianapolis, where the prettiest story of the night was the ugliest game. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 98-90 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for their first win of the season after an 0-5 start, according to Reuters and the New York Post. Michael Porter Jr. scored 23 points and nine rebounds, Julius Randle added 20 points, six assists and a plus-17, and Day'Ron Sharpe collected 15 points and 13 rebounds. Brooklyn opened the second half with a 9-0 run — a Porter four-point play, then a Nolan Traore three and floater — and led the entire second half. Andrew Nembhard paced Indiana with 23 and Pascal Siakam had 17, but the Pacers, missing Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac, Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell per the Post, lost their fourth straight. It was also a measure of revenge: Indiana had beaten Brooklyn 136-109 a week earlier. Porter said it plainly afterward, in the Post's reporting: it was not a pretty win, but the zero is out of the win column. It was the kind of win that tells you more about a team than a blowout ever could.

Now the league exhales for exactly one night — and then everybody plays. Monday's slate has all 30 teams in action across 15 games before the league takes Tuesday off for Election Day, according to the NBA schedule. The Lakers host Miami on the second night of a back-to-back, with Doncic's status the question of the day — USA Today noted it was unclear whether he would play, while Reuters reported Doncic is intent on being on the floor. Boston finishes its back-to-back at Houston, Brooklyn visits the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Golden State gets Curry and Green back against Phoenix, and Oklahoma City visits Cleveland in the national game. Four games told the story on Sunday. Fifteen get a say on Monday.