The Luka Dončić era started off slow for the Los Angeles Lakers but has picked up some serious steam in recent days. Coming back from the longest absence of his career, thanks to a calf injury that had been ailing him for quite some time, Dončić took a bit to get used to his new team. But against the Denver Nuggets, it looked like he finally found his footing.
For the first time since joining the Lakers, the Slovenian was looking like his MVP-caliber self, and it was right in time for a clash against the team that unceremoniously traded him — the Dallas Mavericks. It didn’t take long for the five-time All-Star to make his mark, setting multiple records on his way to handing Dallas a 107-99 defeat.
Luka Dončić Sets Multiple NBA Records In Revenge Games Against Mavericks
Even though Anthony Davis wasn’t available due to a reaggravated groin injury, the Mavericks, winners of four of their last six, were going to be a tough matchup for Los Angeles. And the game was close throughout the first half, with the Lakers up just eight at halftime.
Yet, in that timeframe, it was Dončić who had solidified himself as the best player on the court. Leaving his fingerprints all over the court, he was already up to 12 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
But, of course, defense wins championships in the NBA, as Mavs general manager Nico Harrison knows all too well, and the five-time first-team All-NBA selection was no slouch on the less glamorous end, either. Dončić had already recorded two steals and blocks apiece.
As Max Gorenstein was quick to point out, the 12-12-7-2-2 stat line was the only time in NBA history that a player recorded similar or better numbers in a single half since the play-by-play tracking started in 1996.
While the game got slower in the second half, Dončić finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and even 12 assists to register his first triple-double as a member of the Lakers, joining LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Russell Westbrook as the only Lakers to record a triple-double within their first five games with the franchise.
Luka's Triple-Double last night in perspective ⬇️
▪️ Joins James Harden (76ers, 2021-22) as the only players in NBA history to record a triple-double FOR and AGAINST the same teams in the same season
▪️ Joins LeBron and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history with… pic.twitter.com/vG2U4Uuj3n
— Fliff (@fliff) February 26, 2025
Dončić became just the third player in league history to record a triple-double against all 30 teams, after Westbrook and James. He also joined James Harden as the only second player in NBA history to record a triple-double for and against the same teams in the same season.
The five-time All-Star ended the night with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks, becoming the first Laker since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to achieve this statline. Los Angeles is now standing fourth in the Western Conference with the win and will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.
