Dec 20, 2025
3 min read
Luka Doncic led the Lakers to victory with 45 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and just 1 turnover, a stat line matched by only one other player in NBA history.
SALT LAKE CITY — After posting a stat line on Thursday matched by only one other player in NBA history in the Los Angeles Lakers' 143-135 victory over the Utah Jazz, Luka Doncic didn't seem impressed with himself.
"I think, honestly, I could have done a lot more," said Doncic, who finished with 45 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and just one turnover. We had seven turnovers, which is impressive for us, and we won the game."
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham became the first player to record a triple-double of 45 points and five steals (since the league officially began recording steals in 1973-74) in an overtime game against the Washington Wizards last month.
It was Donczyk's 10th 40-point triple-double, joining James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the only players to score 10 or more.Became first Laker to record 40-point triple-double since Magic Johnson (March 28, 1981, also vs. Utah) 40 years earlier.
Still, with Doncic and the Lakers posting a season-low in possessions as a team, that leaves L.A.’s struggling defense was able to improve in at least one area of the game — the Lakers allowed just nine fast-break possessions to the Jazz, one of many problems for the team.
Lakers coach JJ Redick agreed with Donk's assessment.
"[He had] moments to play well, to participate and do our things defensively, and then he got to the point where he didn't hold back and didn't do our things defensively," Redick said.three [combined]."
James finished with 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and was left in the game after a terrible first-half collision with Utah's Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton collided with the inside of James' left knee (the same knee James suffered in a decisive game in Los Angeles' first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves) and caused the 23-year-old veteran to fall to the court and linger while his teammates came to check on his left knee in the second quarter.
"A little bit of a knee injury, like a sharp pain in the knee," James said later."It's kind of kneed in, like the middle of the knee. I just wanted to take some time to let it go down ... or hope it goes down."
"We escaped the bullets there," I told my coach Mike [Mancius].
And on a night when the Houston Rockets lost to the New Orleans Pelicans and the Pistons lost to the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers avoided an upset bid by the Jazz, improving to 10-0 in clutch games this season.
LA improved to 19-7, the third best start through 26 games in the eight seasons James played for the Lakers.
It's possible James was more generous than Doncic in his praise of Doncic, especially on a night when Los Angeles was down two starters in Austin Reaves (calf) and Deandre Ayton (elbow).
"It's Luke," James said."Luca is a wizard", so it's not surprising. He's very good. It's ridiculous.
