By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Luka Doncic just continues to stack his achievements in the NBA.
Eager to end the Dallas Mavericks’ two-game losing skid, the Slovenian hoops icon was laser-focused against the Utah Jazz and broke the NBA record books once again after becoming the first player to tally a 29-point triple-double in the first half last December 7, 2023.
After two quarters, Doncic already had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while leading the Mavericks to a dominating 147-97 victory over the Jazz.
With the one-sided victory, Doncic didn’t finish the whole fourth quarter and ended the game with 40 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
It was also an efficient night offensively for Doncic after converting 14 out of his 25 total attempts from the field.
Doncic shot 6/8 from the free-throw line and buried six out of his 12 tries from downtown. He also got a block and wrapped up the Western Conference showdown win with a performance for the ages.
It was just obvious that Doncic wanted to control the tempo of the game after the Mavericks called the first three plays for him then immediately paid off the trust of his team with eight quick buckets.
When Utah was still inching close with their three-point barrage, Doncic completely sucked the life out of them when he scored 11 straight points that put Dallas ahead by double digits.
After the Doncic eruption, Utah went flat in executing their offensive schemes and could only watch the Mavericks blow the game wide open midway through the second quarter.
Aside from making history again, Doncic added another feat after clinching his 60th triple-double while cruising past Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird for the ninth place.
Kyrie Irving backstopped Doncic with 26 points and stuffed the stat sheets after tallying four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
Doncic and the Mavericks will look to sustain their momentum on December 9, 2023, as they face the struggling Portland Trailblazers at home.
