Luka Doncic Knocks LeBron James’ Door With Massive Triple-Double in Loss vs Lakers

In his return to the Dallas Mavericks lineup, Luka Doncic faced a challenging outing. The game resulted in a lopsided 127-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Kyrie Irving fell short of his usual stellar performances, scoring only 12 points as Doncic found himself lacking substantial contributions from the rest of the roster. On the Lakers’ side, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and D’Angelo Russell – all surpassed the 25-point mark.

A collision with James early in the game left Irving shaken up, forcing a trip to the locker room in the first quarter. Even though he returned, he concluded the half with just three points off free throws. The Lakers entered halftime, steadily building their lead. The ongoing struggle with perimeter shooting hindered the Mavs from mounting a comeback.

Luka Doncic set to surpass LeBron James

Notwithstanding the team’s overall struggle, Luka Doncic continued his brilliance, recording a stat line of 33 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds. With another 30-point triple-double, he now shares the third spot on the all-time list of 30-point triple-doubles with LeBron James.

On the all-time list of 30-point triple-doubles, James and Doncic follow Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. Westbrook boasts an impressive 48 such triple-doubles, while Robertson significantly leads the chart with a remarkable 106 30-point triple-doubles. Luka Doncic’s ascent toward LeBron James’ record is noteworthy, especially considering his rapid pace. Doncic has achieved 37 triple-doubles in just 365 games, a stark contrast to James, who took 1094 more games, to accumulate the same number.

However, in terms of overall triple-doubles, Luka is yet to match James, even though he’s making significant strides in that category as well. Currently occupying the 9th spot with 63 triple-doubles, he still trails James by 46, who holds the 5th position with 109 triple-doubles.

NBA Insider is unsure of LeBron’s future with LA

No Mavs-Lakers matchup is complete without off-court speculations grabbing the headlines. Before the current game’s instance, NBA insider Brian Windhorst cast doubt on James’ future after his current contract. While expressing optimism that James will play in the league, Windhorst is uncertain if it will be with the Lakers.

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Windhorst’s remarks promptly brought back memories for Dallas fans, who recalled another insider, Shams Charania’s report from the previous summer. Charania had reported that Irving had contacted LeBron James to explore the possibility of him joining the Dallas Mavericks.

With their recent win, the Lakers get back to a .500 spot on the season. However, given their past stretches, it is unsure how they will proceed. Currently, they are 10th in the Western Conference standings, with a 21-21 record. Furthermore, the Lakers have now defeated 2 of the top 5 teams within their standings in their last 2 games.

Apart from a Clippers game, the Lakers have two relatively easy games on the horizon, with the Bulls and the Blazers set to visit LA. Who do you think comes out on top?

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