What might have gotten overlooked during the Los Angeles Lakers' surge in the second-half of the campaign is that Luka Doncic was struggling from the field. He shot less than 40 percent in four of his first six games with the team and had several other cold nights along the way. Those struggles are hard to recall now, however.

The 2023-24 scoring champion ended the regular season red-hot, and he is keeping that form in the NBA playoffs. Three nights after dropping an incredibly efficient 37 points in a blowout Game 1 loss versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doncic posted 31 points on 9-of-20 shooting in a 94-85 series-tying victory on Tuesday.

Besides helping LA secure a desperately-needed win, the 26-year-old guard accomplished remarkable franchise history. He joins Hall of Fame centers George Mikan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only Lakers players to score 30 points or more in their first two postseason games with the squad, per ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel.

Lakers' Luka Doncic is built for the playoffs

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Of course, Doncic can do far more than put the ball in the basket. He also collected 12 rebounds and nine assists, falling just shy of a triple-double in front of an exuberant Crypto.com Arena crowd. The five-time All-NBA First-Teamer continues to craft playoff masterpieces. Los Angeles is counting on him to maintain this stellar form as the No. 3 seed in the West tries to survive Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.

The Lakers' defense was much more effective in Game 2, as they held Minnesota to below 40 percent shooting from the floor. Edwards and Julius Randle combined for 52 points, but no other Wolves player posted double-figures. Head coach JJ Redick hopes that performance travels with the team on the road.

Luka Doncic can trust all-time great LeBron James (21 points) and the rising Austin Reaves (16) to share in the scoring responsibilities, but he will probably need to keep operating as the top guy on offense if the Lakers are going to reach their ceiling this postseason. Doncic will look to stay in rhythm when the Lakers and Timberwolves collide in the Target Center Friday night for Game 3 of this opening-round series.