Another day, another triple-double for Dallas Mavericks swingman Luka Doncic.
Doncic finished with 35 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes of action during a 48-point blowout against the Golden State Warriors. The banged-up and short-handed Warriors slipped to 3-13 without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in the lineup.
Two nights earlier, Doncic secured a triple-double with 42 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds in a 117-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. At 20-years old, Doncic joined LeBron James as the only other player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double before their 21st birthday. He turns 21 in February of 2020.
The dominant Doncic now has seven triple-doubles in only 14 games this season for the Mavericks (9-5).
“I don’t know what to say,” Doncic said. ” I just enjoy the basketball. I’m glad we’re winning games. We’ve got three in a row, and we’ve just got to keep going like that.”
In only his second season, Doncic leads the Mavs with 29.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game. He’s nearly a half-assist per game short of averaging a triple-double.
Historic 1Q, Triple-Double Luka
Doncic dropped 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the first quarter. The Mavs jumped out to a 44-16 lead. Doncic got half-way to a triple-double and outscored the Warriors 22-16.
By halftime, Doncic had 33 points on 10-for-11 shooting, and 6-for-7 on three-pointers.
Head coach, Rick Carlisle pulled Doncic and his starters early in the second half as the Mavs built up a 40-point lead.
“If he had kept playing today, he probably would have had 50 points,” said teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. “He’s doing a great job playing with the utmost confidence.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Doncic became the fastest player to secure a 30-point triple-double with only 25 minutes of action.
“He’s a very special player on a special roll,” said Carlisle. “There’s not much else to say. This isn’t a big news flash now. This is getting to be pretty normal.”
Oscar Robertson, the legendary Big O, recorded 11 triple-doubles in his first games of the 1961-62 NBA season. If Doncic can maintain this output, he will become only the third player in NBA history, joining Robertson and Russell Westbrook, to average a triple-double the entire season.
