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As Luka Doncic is training, the Dallas Mavericks superstar has started flashing his All-NBA form.
Doncic delivered by far his most dominant performance of the season in a 113-100 road win on Monday night over the Houston Rockets. He had season highs with 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, registering his first triple-double of the season, one of historic significance.
Doncic now has three of five 30-15-10 performances in NBA history by under-22 players, according to research from the Elias Sports Bureau. The others were recorded by a Hall of Famers couple, Oscar Robertson in 1960 and Magic Johnson in 1981.
There have only been seven 30-15-10 performances since Doncic entered the league in 2018-19, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee and Nikola Jokic of Denver each have two in this period. Doncic’s three performances are second among all players in the past 30 years, behind just Russell Westbrook’s five.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Doncic’s spectacular outing. “He’s a great player.”
But Doncic, the favorite MVP of Las Vegas punters, failed to perform up to 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 believed that the season would start in January or February.
“His prep program was canceled, and he just fell behind,” Carlisle said. “It’s pretty clear now that he’s getting back to where he needs to be. As I mentioned the other night, all of his physical and conditioning metrics are really going in a really good, strong direction, which is awesome. And you can tell. on the floor. You can see he’s getting better and better every day. “
Doncic, who missed Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls with a left quadriceps contusion, constantly put in extra work in an effort to regain the form that made him an All-NBA first-team selection. last season. This included a shootout after the 40-minute game on American Airlines center court following a loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the Mavs opener, in which Doncic was limited to 12 points and said “his legs were really tired “.
“I’m ready to play,” said Doncic, who edged out perennial MVP candidate James Harden (21 points, 5 of 17 shots, 10 assists) on Monday night. “I’m going to keep doing the conditioning, keep doing better, keep getting better. We have a lot of games, so I’ll be in good shape.”
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