3 best NBA performances by Luka Doncic this season

By now, the entire NBA world knows about Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and his performance against the New York Knicks yesterday.

He recorded an impressive triple-double, an achievement that was given to a basketball player when they had at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single game. However, triple-doubles are fairly common among elite NBA players such as Doncic.

In his game against the Knicks, he managed to score 60 points and 21 rebounds, both career highs for him, as well as 10 assists.

Without a doubt, so far this has been Doncic's best performance this season and in his career, but that doesn't mean that the point guard was lackluster in the first two months. Looking back, these are three of Doncic's best performances this year.

#3 Golden State Warriors 113 @ Dallas Mavericks 116

Dallas Mavericks v Golden State Warriors - Game Five

The first game on this list is another triple-double. Although the Slovenian has had seven triple-doubles this NBA season alone, this particular one stands out. In this home outing, he scored 41 points, going 14-for-27 from the field and 9-for-15 from the free throw line.

He also recorded four steals, more than the rest of his team combined. And that's not all; Doncic made the go-ahead bucket with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter, and he got the last defensive rebound seconds before time expired.

#2 Dallas Mavericks 112 @ Houston Rockets 106

Dallas Mavericks v Houston Rockets

Most of Doncic's outstanding performances have come in front of the home crowd at the familiar American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. This game was different.

In his first 50-point NBA games this season, the star point guard came extremely close to recording another triple-double just four days before his spectacular 60-point outing. He had 50 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds against the Rockets with a 56.7 field-goal percentage.

Even though this game wasn't as tight as the previous one on this list, he scored 15 points in the final quarter, including a 30-foot jumper with 19 seconds left on the clock.

#1 New York Knicks 121 @ Dallas Mavericks 126 (OT)

New York Knicks v Dallas Mavericks

The top spot on this list goes to the overtime game played against the Knicks on December 27, 2022. Not only was this NBA game a spectacle to watch, but it was a nail-biter to the very end. Doncic got his 10th assist 20 seconds from the end of regulation time.

To set the stage, the Knicks were up 112-103 with under 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. After Christian Wood hit a three-point jumper and Quentin Grimes turned it over, Doncic got the Mavs within three points with an and-one.

Both teams shot a few free throws, and Dallas got possession down three with seven seconds left. Grimes fouled intentionally to send Doncic to the line, where he made the first and missed the second with an offensive rebound and a jump shot to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, the Mavericks took the lead and never gave up. They won by a margin of five points, barely covering the pre-game spread.

Luka Doncic's future in the NBA

Doncic is just 23 years old, and the 2022 NBA season is only his fifth in the league. How much can he improve with a few more years of experience under his belt? By the end of his career, can he be considered in the G.O.A.T debate? Only time can tell.