Luka Doncic’s 45-Point Triple-Double Puts Him in Elite Lakers Company
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Salt Lake City, Utah — Luka Doncic delivered 45 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists and five steals on Thursday night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Utah Jazz at Delta Center and etching his name alongside three legendary franchise figures.
The 26-year-old guard/forward became only the fourth Laker ever to post a 40-point triple-double, joining Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson and Jerry West. Johnson had been the most recent Laker to reach the milestone, doing so on March 28, 1981 — also against Utah — making Doncic’s performance the first of its kind for the club in 44 years.
Thursday’s outburst was also Doncic’s 10th career 40-point triple-double, a benchmark previously achieved by just three NBA players: Oscar Robertson, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. He reached the mark in his 48th regular-season appearance with Los Angeles.
Recognition in the Emirates NBA Cup
Doncic’s strong play extended beyond regular-season action. After guiding the Lakers to an undefeated record in group play of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, the league named him to the tournament’s All-Tournament Team. He averaged 36.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 10.0 assists over five Cup games while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from long range.
Joining Doncic on the All-Tournament roster were Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks, De’Aaron Fox of the San Antonio Spurs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers’ Cup bid ended in the quarterfinals with a loss to the Spurs, but Doncic finished second in tournament scoring and tied for fourth in assists, underscoring a dominant showing that paralleled his historic night in Salt Lake City.
Source: LakersNation.com
