By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Passing James Harden and ranking fourth among the players with the most 30-point triple-doubles in the NBA was an achievement on NBA Saturdays. Moving to the Christmas Game versus the Phoenix Suns, Luka Doncic can go up to 37 and match LeBron James in third place.
“A lot,” the Slovenian superstar replied about how important he considers potentially reaching James.
Doncic, 24, registered his 36th 30-point triple-double on the latest installment of NBA Saturdays. Piling up 39 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists fueled the lopsided win against the San Antonio Spurs in American Airlines Center. His side went up to 17-12 in the 2023-24 Regular Season.
The next 30-point triple-double, on Christmas or not, will lift Doncic to third on the all-time list. On the verge of entering the list of players with 10,000 points in the NBA Regular Season brings up another approaching milestone.
After spraining his right ankle during warmups, Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the game on Saturday. At the top of the Regular Season, the Mavs spoiled Wemby’s debut in the NBA. “You always want to play against guys like this,” pointed out Doncic commenting on the injury of the French prodigy, “So, it is disappointing.”
The former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion will be featured in a game on Christmas Day for the fourth year in a row. “It is a special day to play basketball,” he previewed the meeting with the Suns in Footprint Center.
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