Only two things are certain in this world: 1. Magic Johnson will state the obvious on X and 2. Luka Doncic will show up for the Los Angeles Lakers.
With Doncic doing his magic, the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz, 143-135, at Delta Center on Thursday. They improved to 19-7, including 7-3 on the road.
The 26-year-old Doncic messed around and abracadabra-ed his way to a triple-double of 45 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists on top of five steals. He also etched his name in the team's record books once again.
“Luka Doncic joined Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, and Jerry West as the only players in Lakers history to have a 40-point triple-double,” reported ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel on X.
The Lakers outscored the Jazz, 41-29, to secure the victory and extend their winning streak to three games. Los Angeles defeated Utah for the third time this season.
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LeBron James provided support for Doncic with 28 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists. Jaxson Hayes added a season-high 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting.
The Purple and Gold were shorthanded without Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, who were nursing a calf injury and elbow injury, respectively.
Like Doncic, Johnson routinely notched all-around numbers during his heyday with the Lakers. His rare combination of size, speed, and vision made him an unstoppable weapon. He is fourth on the all-time list for most triple-doubles with 138. James is not too far behind the NBA legend with 122 triple-doubles.
Johnson has not posted anything yet about Doncic's impressive performance against the Jazz, but it probably would be another earth-shattering one.