Luka Dončić beat Nikola Jokić in a triple-double with 30 points
Luka Dončić once again acted for Los Angeles Lakers as they beat the Denver Nuggets 115-107 at Ball Arena on Tuesday.
The Lakers have won back-to-back games to improve to 26-16, including 14-8 on the road. They are just 5-5 in their last 10 outings, even with Doncic and LeBron James is putting up big numbers.
But against the Nuggets, the Purple and Gold made sure not to waste Doncic’s all-around effort. He finished with a monster line of 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
As reported by ESPN, Doncic passed Nikola Jokic for second triple-double with 30 points in league history with 52. Doncic trails only NBA legend Oscar Robertson, who recorded 106 in his great career.
MAGIC PORT 🪄
Doncic recorded his 52nd career triple-double with 30 points, surpassing Nikola Jokic for 2nd place in NBA history 👏 pic.twitter.com/JHrRcmO9bS
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) January 21, 2026
It won’t be a surprise if Doncic calls Jokic to tease him about it. They have developed a close bond over the years, sharing a bond over their common roots in Europe and similar paths to the NBA.
It also helps that they both have a laid-back personality and dry sense of humor. Doncic and Jokic could often be spotted chatting candidly and exchanging jokes whenever their teams met.
Unfortunately, they could not fight on the floor on Tuesday, because Jokić is still out of the field due to a knee injury. He has now missed the Nuggets’ last 12 games.
before the game Doncic admitted that Denver is playing well even without the triple MVP.
The Lakers defeated the Nuggets in the second half, and Doncic got a lot of support from James, who scored 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Marcus Smart added 15 points and two rebounds.
The Lakers will face the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
2026-01-21 06:32:00
