Luka Doncic enters elite company alongside LeBron James and Russell Westbrook after Mavs game

Luka Doncic joined Russell Westbrook and LeBron James in some special company with triple-double against the Mavericks.

Luka Doncic enters elite company alongside LeBron James and Russell Westbrook after Mavs game

Luka Doncic joins Russell Westbrook and LeBron James in record books

The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in a highly anticipated matchup, marking Luka Doncic’s first game against his former team since his shocking midseason trade. Fans were eager to see how the Slovenian superstar would fare in his new colors, and he did not disappoint in the Lakers’ 107-99 victory. Along the way, he made history by joining LeBron James and Russell Westbrook in an exclusive club.

On Tuesday, Luka Doncic recorded his 81st career triple-double, and his first ever against the Mavericks, given that he played for them throughout his career. With his 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists outing, he became just the third player after Russell Westbrook and LeBron James to have recorded a triple-double against all 30 NBA teams.

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The significance of this milestone cannot be understated. Doncic had already been on the verge of history having recorded a triple-double against 29 other teams while playing in Dallas. However, his trade from the Mavericks enabled him to finally join an elite club of players to have recorded the milestone of recording a triple-double against every franchise in the NBA.

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At just 25 years old, he has already climbed to seventh on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list with 81 in just 427 games. In contrast, LeBron James, currently fifth on the list, has 122 in 1,544 games, while Russell Westbrook leads all-time with 202 in 1,213 games. If Luka Doncic continues at this pace, he could realistically challenge Westbrook’s record before the end of his career.

Luka Doncic continues to excel alongside LeBron James

The Lakers’ acquisition of Luka Doncic was one of the biggest midseason moves in recent NBA history. No one could have imagined the Rob Pelinka-led Lakers front office splitting up the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but when a star like Doncic is up for grabs, any and every player is on the chopping block. After the trade, one would imagine that there would be a significant adjustment period for Luka Doncic and LeBron James to gel together. Clearly not.

The Lakers have an offensive rating of 117.6 when Doncic is on the floor for them, and the chemistry between him and James has been apparent since the day they stepped on the court together. Tuesday night’s matchup saw a glimpse of what the duo can achieve together, as Luka Magic orchestrated the offense while King James took over down the stretch of the game with 16 fourth-quarter points.

Late in the fourth quarter, Luka Doncic delivered a pinpoint full-court pass to James, who finished with a thunderous dunk to give the Lakers a 96-91 lead. In fact, Doncic threw multiple dimes to LeBron James throughout the game, which led to a number of thunderous players at the rim for the 40-year-old star.

As the season progresses, the Doncic-James duo will continue to refine their chemistry, with hopes of leading the Lakers on a deep playoff run. The team is currently 3-2 with Doncic in the lineup and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They will look to keep banking on the success of their star duo as they look to finish the season as a top 4 seed in the Western Conference.