2019-20's greatest games: LeBron James and Luka Doncic's triple-double duel

Image: LeBron James drives against Luka Doncic

Relive all the drama from one the 2019-20 NBA season's greatest games - LeBron James and Luka Doncic engage in a triple-double duel as the Lakers outlast the Mavs.

Los Angeles Lakers 119-110 Dallas Mavericks (OT) - November 1, 2019

Game leaders

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Points: LeBron James - 39
  • Assists: LeBron James - 16
  • Rebounds: LeBron James - 12

 

Dallas Mavericks

  • Points: Luka Doncic - 31
  • Assists: Luka Doncic - 15
  • Rebounds: Luka Doncic - 13
  • LeBron James had a season-high 39 points with 16 assists and 12 rebounds, while Luka Doncic finished with 31 points, a career-high 15 assists and 13 boards as the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 119-110 in overtime.

    According to the NBA, they became the youngest and oldest players in NBA history with triple-doubles that included at least 30 points and 15 assists, doing so in the same game.

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    In the first match-up of the 15-time All-Star alongside Anthony Davis against Dallas' young European pair of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Slovenian star, who grew up modelling his game after James, had the 10th triple-double of his NBA career, extending his NBA record for the most for a player under 21.

    After Danny Green drained a corner three to force overtime, James had nine points in the extra session, starting with a three-point play that followed Anthony Davis' dunks in a 10-0 run that spanned the end of the fourth quarter and the start of going back to regulation.

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    The extra period was anticlimactic - but did not really take away from the second half that preceded it.

    The numbers

    James connected on 13 of his 23 field goal attempts, draining four of his nine attempts from three-point range. All of James' successful threes came in the second half.

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    Doncic's 31-point haul came on 10-of-23 shooting. Like James, he made 4-of-9 from behind the arc.

    The performances

    LeBron James produced a mammoth triple-double to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to an overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks
    Luka Doncic matched LeBron James' triple-double but could not prevent the Dallas Mavericks from falling to an overtime loss to the Lakers

    What they said

    LeBron James

    "You never know who you can inspire along your path. For me, playing the game the right way, getting my team-mates involved and playing for the purity of the game, I was able to inspire a kid that wasn't even in America. That's pretty special.

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    "We now see what he is capable of doing - his ability to make plays, not only for himself but for his team-mates, his rebounding, playing for the pure love of the game. It's a beautiful thing to watch."

    Luka Doncic

    "It was amazing. It was something special for me, for sure. I looked up to [LeBron] as my idol. It was just great for me. Like I said, it was special, and it will be a day that I remember."

    The impact

    The victory took the Lakers to 4-1, their best start since going 8-0 to open the 2010-11 season. For James, it was a statement cementing the role he would take over the ensuing months as the Lakers' playmaker-in-chief, in addition to being a primary scoring weapon. When the 2019-20 season was suspended, James led the league in assists with 10.6 per game.

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    Even in defeat, Doncic made a statement of his own, going toe to toe with the NBA's most-celebrated player and proving to a national audience he was making the leap into the MVP discussion in just his second NBA season.

    One month later, he recorded 27 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists as Dallas got revenge over the Lakers with a 114-100 win at Staples Center.

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