BREAKING NEWS: Luka Dončić has finally make …..
On his 25th birthday, Luka Doncic recorded his 11th triple-double of the year with 30 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Toronto Raptors 136-125 on Wednesday night.
The league’s top scorer, Nikola Jokić, became the first player to ever post a 30-point triple-double on his birthday. Nine games in a row, he has scored 25 points or more, and twice in that run, he has scored 40 or more.
“Triple-double, just a regular game,” Dallas head coach Jason Kidd remarked. “He was excellent. Given that he is 25, I assume that he will continue to excel here as he ages.”
Doncic made 11 of 23 shots, making just 1 of 8 three-pointers, as Dallas ended a two-game losing streak. At the foul line, he was 7 for 9 overall.
He is only the fourth NBA player—after Pete Maravich, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson—to record 75 points, 20 rebounds, and 30 assists in a two-game span, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information.
Luka Doncic, who turned 25 on Wednesday, became just the ninth player in NBA history to score a triple-double on his birthday with his 30 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds.
When asked if he thought that turning 25 was a milestone birthday, Doncic first requested an explanation of the term before brushing it off.
“I feel like 40, so no,” the smiling Slovenian celebrity remarked.
After splitting 22 points apiece in the first half, Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 37 in the second half.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic remarked, “Kyrie and Luka, they had such a poise in important moments to make the right plays.”
P.J. Washington Jr. added 23 points, and Irving scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead Dallas. The Mavericks recovered from their difficult defeat to Cleveland on Tuesday night behind 13 points from Daniel Gafford. Max Strus’ game-winning 59-foot field goal with seconds remaining gave the Cavaliers a thrilling 121-119 victory.
Doncic claimed he didn’t think about that loss for very long.
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“Zero,” uttered. “That’s the beauty of the NBA, you get another chance the next day.”
In the first quarter, Doncic was responsible for six of Dallas’ eight assists, including an incredible no-look, over-the-shoulder ball that found Tim Hardaway Jr. open for a three-pointer. The first quarter saw 13 points from Washington, giving the Mavs a 36-34 lead.
“I think he’s special, just the way he breaks down the game and the way he can pass the ball,” Washington remarked of Doncic.
In the second quarter, Doncic scored eight points, and Hardaway added nine for Dallas. However, Immanuel Quickley scored ten points for Toronto, and the Raptors led 67-66 at the half.
The Mavericks only made two mistakes in the third quarter compared to Dallas’ ten turnovers in the first half, which gave the Raptors 15 points. Dallas led 106-92 going into the fourth quarter thanks to 11 points from Doncic and six more assists.
