Lakers, Luka, LeBron Make NBA History Not Seen in 57 Years – heavy.com

The red-hot Los Angeles Lakers made NBA history during Tuesday’s 134-126 win over the Miami Heat, becoming the first team in 57 years to have one player score at least 60 points (Luka Doncic) and another record a triple-double (LeBron James) in the same game.
Incidentally, the Lakers were the last team to accomplish the same feat when Wilt Chamberlain scored 66 points against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 9, 1969, alongside Elgin Baylor’s triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds, 16 assists) on the same night.
While Doncic finished with 60 points, five steals, and seven rebounds — including 20 points in the fourth quarter — James scored 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists as the Lakers secured their eighth straight win. In March, the Lakers own a 10-1 record, trailing only the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder (9-0) and Atlanta Hawks (8-0).
The most impressive part of the win was that it happened less than 24 hours after the Lakers secured a tough road victory against the Houston Rockets. Entering Tuesday’s contest, there were murmurs that the Lakers could rest James, 41, or at least sit out two of their three best players amid a grueling stretch of games. Instead, the Lakers trotted out their full team on Thursday, showcasing resilience and grit.
During the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak, Doncic has averaged a mindblowing 40.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.4 steals and 6.1 made threes at 50/42/78 shooting splits. After Thursday’s game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick made a strong case for Doncic to win his first MVP award this season.
“He’s playing as well as anyone in basketball,” Redick said of Doncic,  via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“He’s really elevated his play at a really important time for our team, elevated the play of his teammates. I think there’s a trust level that we all have — coaches, teammates — with him closing games for us. He’s been fantastic, and I think he’s one of the best and should be in the MVP conversation.
Thursday’s game also marked James’ 1,1611st regular-season game, tying Boston Celtics legend Robert Paris for the all-time games-played mark.
“It’s not something I set out to do,” James said after the game, via ESPN.
“The one thing that I’ve always had in my mind is that you can’t be a leader and you can’t practice what you preach if you’re not available to your teammates. And I’ve always kind of just prided myself on trying to be as available as possible in my career to my teammates, going out on the floor every night and keeping my body intact.”
Parish said that nobody was more deserving of the honor than the Lakers star.
“If anyone is deserving of breaking the iron man record, I would say LeBron James is,” Parish told ESPN on Thursday.
“Because he takes such good care of himself. … His approach to fitness and what he puts into his body reflects, or mirrors, how I felt about my fitness and what I ate, how I took care of myself. And so, it’s a testament to not only my longevity, but LeBron’s longevity.”
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Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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