Lakers' Luka Doncic falls victim to NBA's most brutal season opener stat despite impressive showing

The Los Angeles Lakers opened the season with a loss to the Golden State Warriors. The offseason leading up to this point has been eventful, as both Luka Dončić and LeBron James have made life difficult for the organization. However, Dončić doesn’t seem to mind—as long as the Lakers remain in win-now mode.

“Dončić being just 26 gives the Lakers a far longer timeline to build a championship-contending team, but that doesn't mean they can slow down and take their time. Dončić told Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick in May that he's not interested in taking the slow approach in building a contender,” CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish wrote.

Los Angeles is fully committed to this season, but it will come with challenges. The team knew the opener against the Warriors would be a tough one, and after their final preseason game, Dončić made that clear.

“I think we started a little bit slow, not being physical,” he said after the final preseason game. “I think when we start games being physical is when we’re at our best. So we need to be more physical for sure, getting the ball in the pick-and-rolls. So just be more physical.”

On Tuesday, Dončić carried the load for the Lakers with a spectacular performance. Still, it wasn’t enough. In fact, Dončić ended up setting an unfortunate NBA record.

“Luka Dončić is the first player in NBA history to open a season with a 40-point double-double but lose by double digits,” Opta Stats posted.

The Lakers are in for a rough season if they can’t get things on track soon. Dončić did everything he could to keep the team in the game, but the supporting cast simply didn’t deliver.

When Dončić scores 40 or more, the Lakers need to walk away with a win. On the bright side, Dončić appears to be in the best shape of his NBA career in quite some time.