Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks made history, but what turns out to be a night to celebrate, did not happen. Doncic admitted that he played "selfish" in the game after the Mavericks subsided against the Chicago Bulls.
Luka Doncic Made Triple-Double
On Sunday, Luka Doncic recorded 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists for his 29th triple-double of his NBA career. With his performance, he moved up to the ranks of the best triple-double leaders of all time and surpassed Michael Jordan at the 15th spot.
According to CBS, the Slovenian prodigy recorded his 29th triple-double when he passed the ball-from-behind to Willie Cauley-Stein midway through the third quarter. The accomplishment of the third-year player is now tied with NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, who last played with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 before his retirement.
Luka proved that he is a walking triple-double machine after finishing with 17 triple-doubles last NBA 2019-2020 season. But, his accomplishment comes at a cost of succumbing to the hungry Bulls, who snapped their four-game loss with a 117-101 win.
After the game, Luka Doncic told the reporters that he did not play to the expectations of the team. The 21-year-old All-Star guard admitted that he came out self-centered and wasted many shots that contributed to their sixth loss of the season, the Essentially Sports reported via ESPN.
Luka Doncic (36 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists): “The second half, I played terrible. That’s on me, that game. I was being selfish a little bit because I had 30 points in the first half. That wasn’t me in the second half. I’ve got to do way better.” https://t.co/K3Zr057UtI
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 17, 2021
"The second half, I played terrible. That's on me, that game. I was being selfish a little bit because I had 30 points in the first half. That wasn't me in the second half. I've got to do way better," Luka confessed in a post-game conference.
While it is understandable how Luka felt about an accomplishment ruined by a disappointing loss, it could be surmised how worried he is about what Dallas is doing right now. The Mavericks are now on their second-straight loss following a 112-109 stomp from Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who struggled from the free-throw shooting.
In Dallas' loss, returning player Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points to go with eight rebounds for his third game of the season since missing the remainder of the playoffs 2020 due to torn meniscus.
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Luka's eye-catching on-court prowess could be a coincidence in line with Michael Jordan. During the game, Doncic wore Jordan's shoes while facing Jordan's former team.
Besides his triple-double achievement on Sunday, Doncic's 35-15-15 figure never lied regarding his potential to the league. The 2018-2019 rookie of the year ranked eighth among the players who notched that rare feat.
Among the greats in the exclusive 35-15-15 club is triple-double leader Oscar Robertson, highest all-time NBA scorer Wilt Chamberlain, and James Harden, who just headed to Brooklyn Nets last week after a four-team big trade, the Clutch Points reported.
In Luka's third season with the Mavs, he appeared on his first playoff game against the ring-chasing Los Angeles Clippers during the "bubble" session. Porzingis got ejected in Game 6 which left Luka with more responsibility on his back.
Despite the loss, Doncic clipped 42 points, tieing with Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki who scored the same in 2011.
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