Luka Doncic celebrates 25th birthday with 67th triple-double
On his 25th birthday. Luka Doncic gave the Dallas Mavericks a gift.
Doncic scored 30 points while adding 11 rebounds and 16 assists for the 67th triple-double of his NBA career, ninth on the all-time list. He also became one of just nine players in NBA history to notch a triple-double on his birthday.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd is in that birthday group, and he’s also sixth on the all-time triple-double list. It’s no surprise Oscar Robertson did it twice, while triple-double kings Magic Johnson (third all-time) and Wilt Chamberlain (seventh) were born in August, making it impossible for them to rack up any birthday stats.
It was another offensive explosion from Dallas, who snapped a two-game losing streak to win for the eighth time in 10 games. In that stretch, they’ve averaged 123.9 points per game, while Doncic is averaging 32.7 points.
Amazingly, it’s the third-lowest point total in any of Doncic’s 11 triple-doubles this season. He had a 26-point triple-double and a 28-pointer, which only shows how ridiculously he’s stuffed the stat sheet this season. In Doncic’s 73-point game in January, he only missed a triple-double by three assists.
The win lifted the Mavericks to within a half-game of fifth place in the Western Conference. That could be what Doncic wished for when he blew out his birthday candles: A guaranteed playoff spot.
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