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Luka Doncic racks up milestones in Slovenia's first win
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic racks up milestones in Slovenia's first win

Before Sunday, there had been only three triple-doubles at the EuroBasket tournament in the last 30 years. Luka Doncic did it in just 30 minutes.

The Los Angeles Lakers star finished with a line of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Slovenia's 86-69 win over Belgium. Doncic added three steals and dominated the game, even on a day when his outside shot wasn't falling (he shot 2-of-11 behind the arc).

Some of Doncic's passes were stunning, like the lob pass from near half court that clinched his triple-double, the fifth in EuroBasket history.

Doncic passed 400 points for his EuroBasket career, the youngest player to hit that mark since 25-year-old Tony Parker did it in 2007. At age 26, Doncic's point total is third among all Slovenian players in history.

Slovenia needs these monster performances from Doncic. Two of its best players, Vlatko Cancar and Josh Nebo, were barred from competing at EuroBasket by their Italian teams. That means Doncic has to carry the team offensively, though he's been surprisingly effective on the defensive end of the court, too.

Doncic definitely needs to beat Iceland Tuesday to make the medal round, and may need to defeat a plucky Israeli squad next week to ensure they get out of Group D. For Lakers fans, it's exciting to see what Doncic can do as a one-man team — especially when the next man up on the Lakers is named LeBron James. 

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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