LeBron James, Luka Doncic Triple-Double as Lakers Outlast Mavericks in OT

LeBron James and Luka Doncic each posted triple-doubles, but James' Los Angeles Lakers emerged victorious Friday with a 119-110 overtime win over the host Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

James' 39-point, 16-assist, 12-rebound evening gave the 4-1 Lakers their fourth straight victory.

Doncic, whose 10 career triple-doubles lead all players in NBA history under the age of 21, put up 31 points, 15 dimes and 13 boards for the 3-2 Mavs.

Dallas took a 102-100 regulation lead when Doncic found Dorian Finney-Smith for a corner three with 31 seconds remaining:

After the two teams traded possessions, the Lakers found themselves with the ball down 103-100 following a Dwight Powell free throw.

James then drove and found Danny Green in the corner, and the shooting guard knocked down a buzzer-beating three for the tie:

The Lakers started overtime on a 7-0 run to take control in the extra session. James added nine points and two assists during the final five minutes.

Notable Performances

Lakers G/F LeBron James: 39 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals

Lakers F/C Anthony Davis: 31 points, 8 rebounds

Mavericks PG Luka Doncic: 31 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds

Mavericks PF/C Kristaps Porzingis: 16 points, 9 rebounds

LeBron James Defies Aging

Very few 17th-year players in NBA history have been productive at an All-Star level.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posted 23.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as the Lakers' starting center in 1985-86. Tim Duncan had 15.1 points and 9.7 boards for the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in 2013-14.

But what LeBron James is doing in his 17th season is unprecedented.

The 34-year-old entered Friday averaging 23.3 points, a career-high 9.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds for a Lakers team that had won its previous three games by an average of 19 points.

Those stats made him an early NBA MVP candidate, but James turned it up a notch in Dallas.

First, he added to a record already held and found himself in great company otherwise:

Second, he played Friday with ruthless aggression as evidenced by a ferocious dunk that a person with 16-plus NBA seasons (and 13 postseasons) under his belt typically doesn't make.

Third, his passing skills have arguably never been better, with this dish to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as one example:

James willed the Lakers to a tough win on a night where a 20-year-old superstar on the opposite end went blow for blow with him for four quarters. Based on his early rate, James might turn in his finest season yet.

Luka Doncic Defies Logic

Very few first- and second-year players in NBA history have taken the league by storm and dominated at a young age.

Magic Johnson led the 1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA championship in his rookie year. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won an NBA MVP Award and guided the Milwaukee Bucks to the 1971 NBA championship in his second season.

Luka Doncic has a long way to go before he joins that company, but his nightly performances make one wonder if he'll leave this game as one of the best ever.

The ex-Real Madrid star notched a triple-double before the third quarter ended, helping guide the Mavs to a nine-point lead entering the final 12 minutes.

He won't turn 21 until February 28, and he's played just 77 NBA games. But Doncic has somehow notched 10 triple-doubles, per ESPN Stats & Info. That's three more than any other player before he turned 21 years old, according to ESPN.

He's also put up numbers comparable to LeBron James' through their first 77 games, per the Mavs' PR department:

On Friday, Doncic made a bullet pass from the 28-foot line into the restricted area look easy:

Tim MacMahon of ESPN specifically praised Doncic's distribution skills:

The point guard also continued his excellent rapport with Porzingis thanks to this lob:

He took on the Lakers' top superstars in Davis and James, nailing a step-back against the Brow and a crossover and three-pointer versus the King:

The overtime session didn't go as well, but the Mavs were just one missed Green shot away from winning in regulation. It was a tough loss for the Mavs, but after Friday, one could imagine Doncic and Dallas will meet Los Angeles again in the spring with much higher stakes.

What's Next?

The Lakers continue their three-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The Mavs will hit the road the same day to visit the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m.