Luka Doncic triple-double helps Mavericks survive scare from Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks were one of the hottest teams in the NBA coming in, but they struggled on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shots were not falling, and Maxi Kleber injured his knee in the third quarter and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest. The Mavs needed superstar Luka Doncic to provide some magic for the team to earn the 104-102 win.

It was far from Luka’s best game. He struggled shooting from the field, but he was locked in on the defensive end from the opening tip. Doncic had one steal and three blocks in the first five minutes of action as he was flying around the court and jumping into passing lanes. It set the tone for his and the team’s performance on Jan. 17.

Luka had his fifth triple-double of the season and the 41st of his career in the win. Here is a closer look at his performance and what is next for the Mavs.

Luka Doncic triple-double lifts Dallas Mavericks over Thunder

The win was anything but easy on Monday night as the Mavs struggled to knock down shots. DAllas shot just 39.8 percent from the field, but they won again with defense. See Luka turn D into offense below.

Doncic finished with 20 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks against the Thunder. He shot just four of 17 from the field, but made 12 of his 14 free throws as the Mavericks outscored Oklahoma City by 12 in his 39 minutes on the floor.

The 22-year-old superstar now has more career triple-doubles (41) than every other Maverick combined (40). Things did not go as planned, but Doncic once again showed he does not need to be at his best to produce something special. The 6’7 guard was not going to let the Mavericks lose on Monday night.

The Dallas Mavericks have won three straight and are up to six games over .500 for the first time this season. They continue their five-game homestand on Jan. 19 as the Mavs host the Toronto Raptors on the first night of a back-to-back. Dallas will be looking to stay hot, and fans will not want to miss a second of the action.