Luka Dončić Jokes He's 'Getting Old' After Win vs. LeBron, Lakers: 'Everything Hurts'

Being a new father and playing both nights of a back-to-back is taking a toll on Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić.

The 24-year-old superstar joked that he's "getting old" with reporters after Tuesday's 127-125 win over the Los Angeles Lakers because "everything hurts" right now.

"I don't know how I played," Dončić said. "I slept very little today. Everything hurts. I'm getting old, man, but we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing, especially against a team like the Lakers. So I'm really proud of these guys."

You would never know Dončić wasn't at full strength based on his performance against the Lakers. He finished with 33 points, 17 assists and six rebounds in 43 minutes.

This came after Dončić put up 35 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 44 minutes on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies

Head coach Jason Kidd has been asking a lot of his star guard all season, but especially in recently. Dončić has played at least 41 minutes in four of his last five games. His 36.6 minutes per contest ranks sixth in the NBA and is on pace to be the highest of his career.

Some of this usage is out of necessity because the Mavs are currently playing without Kyrie Irving. The eight-time All-Star suffered a foot injury in Friday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The team has not yet announced a timetable for his return.

There were points against the Lakers when it seemed like Dončić might not have to be on the court as much as he was. The Mavs led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, but Los Angeles stormed back to take a 95-93 lead going into the fourth.

Dončić powered the Mavericks in the fourth with eight points and six rebounds. He played all but two seconds of the final quarter to give Dallas its fourth consecutive win.

Fortunately for Dončić, the Mavs have two of the next three days off. They will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday in a showdown between two of the top three teams by record in the Western Conference.