Luka Doncic records memorable triple double in Lakers rout over Wizards

Luka Doncic (YouTube)

It is just over one year since Luka Doncic of Ljubljana, Slovenia was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal that completely rocked the National Basketball Association. Well, it seems Doncic is fitting in very nicely in his new surroundings, and in the process becoming one of the most complete players in the league.

What we saw on Friday night from Doncic was completely remarkable. Doncic had a triple double in the opening 24 minutes. He had 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a 142-111 Lakers win over the Washington Wizards. Doncic finished the game with 37 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds.

One needs to put Doncic’s triple double into perspective. Doncic is the only player in the last 28 years to have a 25+ point first half triple double, and he has accomplished the feat twice now. He originally accomplished the feat the first time in a dominant 147-97 Dallas Mavericks win over the Utah Jazz on December 6, 2023. Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was Dallas’s third biggest win in franchise history.

Doncic leads the NBA in points per game (33.6), and free throws made per game (8.7). He is also averaging 8.8 assists per game, eight rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals per game with a free throw percentage of .476, three point percentage of .348, and a free throw percentage of .780.

Throughout his NBA career, Doncic now has 88 triple doubles. That is the seventh most triple doubles of all-time. The NBA leader all-time for triple doubles is Russell Westbrook of Long Beach, California, who has 207.