Luka Doncic Makes History, Surpasses Lakers’ LeBron James in Mavs’ loss to Celtics

Not all was lost for the Dallas Mavericks in its 119-110 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday at the American Airlines Center.

Luka Doncic made history with his performance against the team with the best record in the NBA. Doncic had 33 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, surpassing LeBron James for the third-most 30-point triple-doubles in NBA history.

Doncic has 38 career games where he’s put up a 30-point triple-doubles, and he has 12 this season alone. Doncic now trails only Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (48) and NBA Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson (106).

Doncic’s performance against the league-leading Celtics is the latest in what has been a career season for the sixth-year guard. He’s averaging career-highs with 33.6 points and 9.3 assists plus 8.5 rebounds per game through 36 games.

While a 33-18-13 stat line will grab the eyes of any common basketball fan, Doncic wasn’t as efficient compared to other nights against a stout Celtics defense. Doncic shot 40 percent from the field, well below his season average of 48.2 percent. He also shot 7-11 from the free throw line and 2-8 from beyond the arc.

Combine Doncic’s struggles with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining for 73 points against the Mavs (24-19), and the Dallas guard making history doesn’t get the shine it would otherwise.

The Celtics’ defence is fourth in points allowed per game (110.6) and second in defensive rating (111.2).

“I missed a lot of layups,” Doncic said after the game.

“They have an amazing team. They’re number one in the NBA, they have a great defense [and] they have two guys that can really play basketball really well.”