TORONTO – Luka Doncic’s 79th career triple-double moved the Dallas Mavericks star past some impressive NBA talent.
Doncic had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his second straight triple-double as the Mavericks extended their winning streak to seven games with a 125-118 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
This triple-double moved Doncic past Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden on the NBA’s all-time list and into sole possession of seventh place.
Next in Doncic’s sights? Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who had 107 triple-doubles in his 19-year NBA career.
“I guess I have to sit him down,” Kidd said jokingly.
Don’t count on it. Doncic will look for his third consecutive triple-double when the Mavericks face the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.
Doncic had 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds at halftime against the Raptors. He hit a 35-foot 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer that gave Dallas a 70-54 halftime lead, and before that he launched a no-look overhead assist to Kyrie Irving for a 3-pointer in the first.
Doncic reached his triple-double on a defensive rebound with 1:58 left in the third. He had 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in Thursday’s victory against the Washington Wizards.
“That’s an incredible feat for Luka,” Kidd said of Doncic’s move ahead of Chamberlain and Harden. “When you talk about his skill set, filling the stat sheet, he’s had two here, he can take advantage of them. We always hope he has a triple-double, or sometimes we take for granted that he’ll have a triple-double. I think you can see now that’s starting to get into rhythm.”
Doncic further impressed his coach by throwing in several long assists against Toronto, including some from under his own basket.
“It’s just incredible the skill, the strength to be able to throw it that far,” Kidd said. “He probably could have been a Cowboys quarterback.”
