Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 25, the NBA announced. Immanuel Quickley of the Toronto Raptors took home honors in the Eastern Conference.
This honor marks the second as a Laker for Doncic and the 16th weekly award of his career.
During the week, Doncic had three 30-point performances, including one triple-double and two double-doubles. Over the three-game stretch, which included a 2-1 record and road victories over the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks, the 26-year-old averaged 34.3 points on 49.2% shooting from the field, 10.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 38.0 minutes.
That began on Jan. 20 with 38 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in 36 minutes in a victory over the Nuggets. It was the 52nd career 30-point triple-double for Doncic, passing Nikola Jokic (51) for second all-time.
It also marked his fourth 30-point triple-double of the season, making Luka just the third player in Lakers history to achieve at least four in a single campaign, joining LeBron James and Magic Johnson. In that same game, surpassed 14,000 career regular season points, becoming the youngest point guard ever to reach the mark and the fifth youngest overall.
Then in a loss to the Clippers, Doncic still had 32 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 39 minutes. And finally, he closed the week with 33 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and one block in 39 minutes in a win over his former team, the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic reached another milestone in that game, making the 1,500th 3-pointer of his regular season career, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to do so.
LeBron James believes Luka Doncic is getting comfortable with Lakers
Now that Doncic is in his second season with the Lakers, LeBron James has noticed him getting more comfortable in his new home.
“The most important thing is just his comfort. Obviously when you get traded mid-season and him spending his first seven or eight years here, it was a shock to everybody. Everybody that was involved, everyone that wasn’t, the whole sports world. But I think the biggest thing this year is just more comfortable, understanding the system, understanding the city, the city embracing him. Him understanding that this is his team, so we’re all rallying around him. We know it’s kind of an emotional, big game when you come back and play your former team. And he showed why he is who he is tonight.”
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