Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA | Game ID: 22500253
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 27 40 37 36 140UTA 36 35 22 33 126
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
LeBron James makes historic season debut, Luka Doncic scores 37 in Lakers' 140-126 win over Jazz
LOS ANGELES -- — LeBron James had 11 points and 12 assists in the first game of his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, and Luka Doncic had 37 points and 10 assists in the Los Angeles Lakers ' 140-126 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
The 40-year-old James made his season debut in the Lakers' starting lineup and played 30 minutes after missing training camp and their first 14 games due to sciatica . Vince Carter is the only other player in NBA history to participate in 22 seasons, but James passed him while opening the next chapter of a pro career that began in 2003.
James didn't take long to find the flow: He put on a playmaking clinic in the second half, and Doncic scored 17 points in the third quarter while the Lakers pulled away from Utah.
Austin Reaves added 26 points as the Lakers improved to 11-4 with their third straight victory.
Keyonte George , who was born 10 days after James’ NBA debut, matched his season high with 33 points for the Jazz two nights after hitting the winning 3-pointer in a double-overtime thriller against Chicago.
Lauri Markkanen had 31 points for Utah, which has lost five of seven.
James didn't score in his first 11 minutes on the court, but his two 3-pointers in the first half moved him past Reggie Miller for the sixth-most in NBA history.
James made a driving layup in the third quarter to extend his streak of double-digit scoring performances to a record 1,293 games — every game in which he has played since Jan. 6, 2007. The four-time NBA champion didn't score again, but the Lakers moved comfortably ahead.
George scored 23 points and Markkanen had 22 in Utah's 71-point first half. The Lakers took charge after halftime, closing the third on a 21-5 run.
Bronny James played the final 3:33 and hit a 3-pointer.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
UTAAB A. Bailey
BS B. Sensabaugh
CW C. Williams
EH E. Harkless
IC I. Collier
JN J. Nurkić
KA K. Anderson
KG K. George
KL K. Love
LM L. Markkanen
NU Nurkic
SM S. Mykhailiuk
LALAR A. Reaves
AT A. Thiero
BJ B. James
DA D. Ayton
DO Doncic
GV G. Vincent
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
MS M. Smart
RH R. Hachimura
UTA/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur