Exactly one year to the day, Luka Doncic was shockingly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most surprising in-season deals in NBA history.
Now, a year later, Doncic delivered one of his best performances in purple and gold. On Friday night, he led the Lakers to a 142–111 win over the Washington Wizards, finishing with 37 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in just 30 minutes of action. He recorded a triple-double by halftime.
With the performance, the NBA announced that Doncic made Lakers franchise history, becoming just the second player - joining teammate LeBron James - to record a 35-point triple-double while making at least five three-pointers in a game.
James accomplished the feat on Dec. 6, 2024, when he posted 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists while knocking down six shots from beyond the arc.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick had high praise for his star point guard after the win, which improved the team to 29–18 on the season.
"It started with the willingness to make the extra pass," Redick said. "The way Luka started the game was the perfect type of aggression - ‘I'm going to hunt and try to create advantages.' He was very decisive with that, and there was a great flow that happened because of it."
Doncic is currently having one of the best seasons of his NBA career, firmly in the MVP race and leading the league in scoring at 33.7 points per game entering Friday night.
The Lakers will return to action Sunday night for the season's first broadcast of Sunday Night Basketball on NBC, when they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Newsweek