“Some People Are Scared to Say”: Giannis Antetokounmpo Makes Luka Doncic Admission After Lakers Beat Heat

Back in March, Luka Doncic dropped 60 against the Heat, the most any player has scored against the franchise. Giannis Antetokounmpo was still with the Milwaukee Bucks then, sidelined with a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise. Eight months later, he’s wearing a Heat jersey, and on Monday, he got a close-up look at Doncic for himself.

After Miami’s 138-117 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, the two-time MVP had big praise for the Lakers star.

"When you have a guy like Luka, obviously he's one of the best scorers to ever play this game, if not the best," Antetokounmpo said after the game.

A reporter jumped in to ask whether he meant right now.

"Not right now. Not right now. Of all time," Giannis replied. "I feel like some people are scared to say that, but he's got to be up there."

The praise came after a night that gave Antetokounmpo plenty of firsthand evidence. Doncic finished with 42 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds on 14-of-24 shooting, including six threes, as the Lakers improved to 6-2 and the Heat fell to 2-5.

Giannis was not bad himself, with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, but had seven turnovers. Both teams shot well early. The Lakers hit 67.4% of their shots in the first half, and the Heat shot 59.5%, but Los Angeles led after every quarter and pulled away in the second half.

After the game, Giannis was blunt about his own team. “We got to have some pride, individual pride, first of all,” he said. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Miami had “no chance” because its defense wasn’t there.

It was Doncic's fourth 40-plus-point game in his last five outings, and it pushed his league-leading scoring average to 38.8 points per game.

Over those five games, he is averaging 43.4 points on 53.2% shooting overall, 44.7% from three and 89.1% at the line. Giannis himself is averaging 28.4 points, fourth-best in the league but nearly 10 fewer than Doncic.

Doncic's teammates are seeing the same thing as Giannis. "It just seems like everything he's shooting is going to go in," said Quentin Grimes.

The Lakers also posted 39 assists, their highest total under coach JJ Redick, which shows Doncic is doing more than scoring. He handled seven blitzes off ball screens, and the Lakers scored on six of those possessions.

Why Giannis’ “All-Time” Case for Luka Doncic Holds Up on Paper

Giannis’ claim is bold, but the stats back it up. Doncic’s career scoring average of 29.32 points ranks behind only Michael Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07). His career playoff average is even higher, at 30.9 points.

The history is also starting to line up. Doncic's 20-plus first-half points against Miami were his fifth game in a row with at least 20 in the first half, something no Laker had done since Kobe Bryant in 2007. At 27, he is on pace for his second straight scoring title and the third of his career.

That context explains why Giannis' remark carries weight. Antetokounmpo has nearly 22,000 career points and sits 41st on the all-time scoring list, one spot behind Larry Bird.

Doncic didn’t have much to say about his own night. He was more focused on the team, which moved up to fourth in the Western Conference after winning both games of a back-to-back against Toronto and Miami.

As for Miami, the loss snapped a two-game winning streak and opened a five-game road trip. They’ll have to figure things out quickly, with plenty of tough matchups ahead.