Luka Doncic’s 30-point triple-double in Monday’s 118-110 win over the Chicago Bulls means the Dallas Mavericks superstar now has more such outings than the rest of the NBA combined this season.
The second-year guard typically shies away from talking about himself when asked about such impressive accomplishments, and he did so again after his 38-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist performance.
“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” Doncic told the assembled media standing around his locker after the victory, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Doncic now has nine 30-point triple-doubles this season after Monday night’s virtuoso performance. In total, he already has 11 “standard” triple-doubles early on in the 2019-20 campaign. The rest of the NBA has eight, and only LeBron James (3) has more than one this season.
When asked about the unparalleled numbers he’s putting up so frequently early on in his career, Doncic unsurprisingly downplayed it.
“I don’t mind, but [it’s] just stats. I think every game is another stat,” Doncic said, referring to frequent notes on the rare historical company he joins statistically. “For me, all I would say is it’s more important to get a win.”
Doncic now has 19 triple-doubles in his young NBA career. Putting that into historical context, his career triple-double output before the age of 21 easily beats out No. 2 and No. 3 on that list: Magic Johnson (7) and LeBron James (5). In other words, Doncic’s continuously evolving résumé certainly lends legitimacy to Gregg Popovich’s recent high praise of the rapidly rising superstar.
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