As Luka Doncic works her way into form, the Dallas Mavericks superstar starts flashing his All-NBA form.
Doncic had by far his most dominant performance of the season in a 113-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night. He had season highs with 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, recording his first triple-double of the season, one that had some historical significance.
According to research from Elias Sports Bureau, Doncic now has three of five 30-15-10 appearances in NBA history from players under the age of 22. The others were recorded by a pair of Hall of Famers, Oscar Robertson in 1960 and Magic Johnson in 1981.
According to research from ESPN Stats & Information, there have been only seven 30-15-10 appearances since Doncic entered the competition in 2018-19. Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee and Nikola Jokic from Denver each have two in that series. Doncic’s three such performances are the second of all players from the past 30 years, after just five by Russell Westbrook.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle of Doncic’s spectacular outing. “He’s a great player.”
But Doncic, the MVP favorite of the Las Vegas oddsmakers, fell short of his high standards in the first week and a half of the season, as his conditioning was admittedly a concern.
Carlisle cited the uncertainty of this season’s NBA schedule as a factor in Doncic’s slow start, saying he was one of many players whose off-season routine was disrupted because he originally thought the season would be in January or February. to start.
“His prep schedule was thrown off and he was just behind the corner,” said Carlisle. “It’s pretty clear now he’s working his way back to where he needs to be. As I mentioned recently, all of his physical and conditioning indicators are really going in a good, strong direction, which is great. And you can see on the floor. You can see he just gets better and better as the day goes by. “
Doncic, who missed Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls due to a left quadriceps bruise, has consistently gone the extra mile in an effort to regain the form that made him a first-team All-NBA roster last season. That included a 40-minute post-game shootout at the American Airlines Center field following a blowout by the Charlotte Hornets in the Mavs’ home opener, in which Doncic was limited to 12 points and said his “legs feel very tired.”
“I’m ready to play,” said Doncic, who beat perennial MVP candidate James Harden (21 points, 5-of-17 shooting, 10 assists) Monday night. “I’m going to keep conditioning, keep doing better, getting in better shape. We have a lot of competitions, so I’ll stay in shape.”