5 records achieved by Luka Doncic in the NBA Playoffs so far
Luka Doncic continues to impress with his stellar showings in the 2020-21 NBA and has had a stellar postseason campaign as well so far.
The Slovenian has led the Dallas Mavericks to a 3-2 series lead against the LA Clippers and is now just one game away from reaching the next round of the playoffs.
Luka Doncic has a knack of breaking records and has achieved some outstanding milestones in his playoff career. On that note, let's have a look at five such records the Mavericks talisman has achieved in his stellar playoff career.
#1 Luka Doncic is the third player to score at least 300 points in his first nine playoff games
Luka Doncic joined an elite company of players when he scored the 300th point of his playoff career in only his ninth postseason game. He arrived at the landmark in Game 3 of the ongoing 2021 NBA playoffs first-round series against the LA Clippers.
That made Luka Doncic only the third player to achieve the feat. Only all-time greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan scored more points (325 apiece) than Doncic after the same number of playoff games.
The Mavericks lost the game, despite Doncic tallying 44 points to go with nine assists and as many rebounds.
#2 Luka Doncic is the second player aged 21 or younger to record multiple 40-point games
Luka Doncic became the fourth player aged 21 or under to record a 40-point game when he did so in the 2020 NBA playoffs against the LA Clippers. He scored 42 on the night but ended up on the losing side. Nonetheless, it was a huge statement of intent from Doncic in his first-ever playoff game.
He continued to put up impressive performances in all six matches he played in that series. Donic put up another 40-point game in Game 4, which was an OT classic, as the Mavericks beat the Clippers 135-133. Doncic rounded off his brilliant outing that night with a long-range clutch shot to seal the win for his team.
In the process, Luka Doncic became only the second player, LeBron James being the other, to record multiple 40-point games aged 21 or younger.
#3 Luka Doncic is the only Dallas Mavericks player to record a triple-double in the playoffs
Luka Doncic achieved multiple records during his first-ever playoff campaign in 2020. One of them was becoming the first player in Dallas Mavericks' history to record a triple-double in a playoff game. He recorded triple-doubles in back-to-back matches in that series, doing so in Games 3 and 4.
To date, Doncic has racked up three triple-doubles in the NBA playoffs, managing one in Game 1 of the ongoing 2021 NBA playoffs. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Doncic is the first player to record multiple 30-point triple-double games (2) before turning 23.
#4 Luka Doncic has recorded the highest percentage of field goals and assists in an NBA playoff game
Luka Doncic was in scintillating form in the all-important Game 5 of the 2021 first-round series between the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. He scored 42 points, dished out 14 assists and claimed eight boards to lead his team to a win and take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Doncic scored and assisted 31 of 37 Mavericks' field goals during the game. In the process, he set a playoff record for the highest percentage contribution (83.8%) in a team's field goals in an NBA playoff game. He also became the third player to contribute 80% of his team's field goals via scoring or assisting. Only LeBron James and Allen Iverson have achieved this feat so far.
#5 Luka Doncic is the first player to record 275+ points, 75 rebounds and 75 assists in his first nine playoff games
Very few players have had the kind of start Luka Doncic has had to his NBA playoff career. It's a sign of how great he could go on to become, as he is just 22 now but is already winning games single-handedly for his team.
Luka Doncic's stat line of 275+ points, 75 rebounds and 75 assists in his first nine playoff games is a testament to how valuable a player he is and the impact he has had at the Dallas Mavericks. The fact that he is the only player in NBA history to achieve this feat so far is perhaps unsurprising.
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