Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic Earns 10th Career West Player of the Week Award

Luka Doncic was named the Western Conference Player of the Week after leading the Dallas Mavs to a 3-1 stretch with Kyrie Irving sidelined.

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was named the Western Conference Player of the Week from Dec. 11 to Dec. 17. It's the first time he's been the recipient of this honor this season but the 10th of his career.

Doncic led the Mavs to a 3-1 record, averaging 36.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 11.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 41.0 minutes per game. His production was achieved with impressive efficiency, shooting 49.0 percent from the floor, 35.9 percent from the perimeter, and 96.9 percent on free throws.

The first performance of Doncic's impressive week occurred in the 120-113 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, finishing with 35 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. On the second night of a back-to-back, he led a 127-125 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, producing 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 17 assists.

The Mavs' only loss of the week came against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Doncic still managed to finish with 39 points and 13 assists. He followed it up by recording 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a road win over the Portland Trail Blazers, marking his eight-ever 40-point triple-double and passing Wilt Chamberlain for the fourth most in NBA history. He also tied James Harden for the fourth-most 30-point triple-doubles in league history as a result of this display. 

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Doncic had a dominant scoring effort early in the Mavs' win against the Blazers, scoring 30 points by halftime and subsequently reaching a 10th consecutive game producing 30 points or more. It's the longest streak of his career and set a new franchise record, breaking his own previous best. Only 21 other players in NBA history have scored at least 30 points in 10 straight games. 

It's been an incredible month of production for Doncic in December, given he's averaging 36.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 12.1 assists. Among his performances during this span involved three 35-point triple-doubles, and he also became the first player in NBA history to record a 25-point triple-double before halftime. 

Doncic has provided the Mavs with yet another elite season, averaging 32.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.1 assists, being the only player ranked in the top five of both points and assists per game. Dallas has gotten off to a 16-9 start entering Monday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets, with a 9-4 record on the road — the NBA's best. 

Mavs' Luka Doncic Ripping Apart All Defenses in MVP-Caliber Season

Doncic has earned more Western Conference Player of the Week awards than any player since the 2019-20 season. The only NBA player with more of this honor has been Giannis Antetokounmpo, named Eastern Conference Player of the Week 12 times during this span after receiving it this week. 

Aside from Dirk Nowitzki and now Doncic, no player in Mavs history has managed to be named Western Conference Player of the Week at least 10 times. Doncic passed Nowitzki this week for the most 35-point regular season performances in franchise history, continuing his ongoing re-writing of the team record book.