Luka Doncic makes history, becomes first player in NBA history with six straight 30-point triple-doubles
Luka Doncic further solidified his place in NBA history on Saturday as he guided the Dallas Mavericks to their second consecutive victory, a commanding 142-124 win over the Detroit Pistons. The Slovenian superstar had a standout performance to lead the Mavericks, who had only won two of their last five games before tonight.
Luka Doncic showcased his do-it-all capabilities, tallying 39 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks in 36 minutes of play. His performance was historic as he became the first player in NBA history to achieve six consecutive 30-point triple-doubles.
He also extended his record of consecutive 35-point triple-doubles to five games.
Kyrie Irving, Doncic's co-star, contributed to the Mavericks' victory with 21 points and five assists. Daniel Gafford added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points coming off the bench.
The Mavericks withstood a strong performance from Cade Cunningham, who recorded 33 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Pistons also received solid contributions from their bench, with Simon Fontecchio scoring 27 points, James Wiseman recording a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds and Marcus Sasser adding 10 points.
The Mavericks improved their record to 36-28, securing the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings, while the Pistons fell to 10-53 with the loss.
Looking at Luka Doncic and NBA’s all-time triple-double leaders
Luka Doncic's triple-double on Saturday marked the 72nd of his career, placing him at No. 9 in the all-time triple-double leaders list.
His next target is LA Clippers star James Harden, who has 75 triple-doubles. Doncic also has Wilt Chamberlain in his sights, who is seventh on the list with 78 triple-doubles.
Breaking into the top six might be challenging for Doncic, as Jason Kidd, who is now the coach of the Mavericks, holds the position with 108 career triple-doubles.
In his first five years in the league, Luka Doncic has averaged 11.2 triple-doubles per season. He recorded eight in his rookie year, followed by 17 in his sophomore year. In the next three seasons, he recorded 11, 10 and 10 triple-doubles respectively.
This season, Doncic has matched his sophomore year total and is on track to set a new career-high for triple-doubles in a season.
With 18 games remaining in the regular season, the Mavericks will face the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, OKC Thunder, and the Denver Nuggets in their next five games.