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Nikola Vucevic has been one of the better centers in the NBA over time, making four All-Star appearances in the last five seasons. In his career, he has averaged a double-double of 16.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. Over his career, he has had some outstanding performances, and many of his highest-scoring games came on nights when he would get a double-double.
While playing for the Orlando Magic, Vucevic was often the leading offensive player. That allowed him to put up some great scoring numbers when he wanted to. With the team also struggling to get wins, Vucevic often needed to have good games to get the Magic victories.
In Vucevic's 10-year career, he has 27 games in which he had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, proving how much of a beast in the paint that he is. To celebrate Vucevic’s birthday, here are five of the highest-scoring double-doubles in Vucevic's career, which all took place while playing for the Magic.
#5 Nikola Vucevic, 37 points and 12 rebounds, 2/21/21, vs. Detroit Pistons
Last season, Vucevic had the best season of his career, averaging 23.4 points and 11.7 rebounds. Three out of his five highest-scoring double-doubles were in the 2020-21 season, and this is the first one.
In a victory over the Detroit Pistons, Nikola Vucevic went for 37 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes, shooting 52% from the field. Vucevic took 27 shots to reach his scoring total, only going 2-6 from three, but also made all seven of his free throw attempts.
It was the least efficient game out of Vucevic's top five scoring double-doubles, but it is still an extremely good game.
#4 Nikola Vucevic, 37 points and 17 rebounds, 4/3/15 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
The game was the start of Nikola Vucevic's emergence into the NBA limelight. This was only Vucevic's fourth season, in which he averaged 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. In his cornerstone game of the season, Vucevic came out and dropped 37 points with 17 rebounds.
In a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Vucevic played 40 minutes, and it took him 25 shots, shooting 72% from the field. This game happened three seasons before Vucevic started to take three-pointers constantly, which makes his scoring output even more impressive. On top of that, he went 1-4 from the free-throw line, making his scoring output a little crazy, with no extra points from the three-pointer or the free-throw line.
On top of that, Vucevic added seven offensive rebounds, the highest out of the five games on this list.
#3 Nikola Vucevic, 38 points and 10 rebounds, 3/14/21 vs. Miami Heat
For Nikola Vucevic, this game had a little bit of everything. Vucevic scored 38 points on 27 attempts in 38 minutes, adding 10 rebounds, which is the lowest amount on this list. He made about 57% of his shots but hit six threes, tied for most on this list, shooting 46%.
Vucevic also added six assists, most out of these five games, but also had seven turnovers, as the Magic lost to the Miami Heat.
The three-point shot elevated Vucevic's game, and he has become a decent outside shooter. When he is right, he can be very consistent, only adding to his scoring totals. Surprisingly, for someone who operates a lot in the paint, Vucevic did not take a lot of free throws in this game, only going 2-3.
The game was just a mixed bag, with Vucevic doing just about everything for the Magic.
#2 Nikola Vucevic, 41 points and 12 rebounds, 10/20/17 vs. Brooklyn Nets
This game is played two seasons before Nikola Vucevic's first All-Star selection, as what Vucevic could become becomes more apparent. The impressive thing about Vucevic's night, besides his 41 points and 12 rebounds, is that his six made three, shooting 75%.
At the time of the game, Vucevic hadn’t fully started to embrace the three-point shot. However, this could have been a game that made it more evident for him to begin to embrace it.
The three-point shooting obviously helped him reach such a high-scoring night, but Vucevic also shot 79% from the field on a total of 22 field goal attempts. Vucevic only played 35 minutes in the loss against the Brooklyn Nets that night but could still put on an offensive show.
#1 Nikola Vucevic, 43 points and 19 rebounds, 2/5/21 vs. Chicago Bulls
It’s funny to think that after dropping 43 points and 19 rebounds and beating the Chicago Bulls, the Bulls would trade for Nikola Vucevic in just less than two months and the NBA trade deadline. In a game that might be one of Vucevic's best games of his career, being one rebound from a 40-20 game.
Vucevic put up such a massive stat line in just 37 minutes, with 29 field goal attempts. He did shoot just 59% from the field and went 4-10 from three. However, he did make five of his six three throws, which always helps when putting up big scoring numbers.
The next night the Magic played the Bulls again, in a game Vucevic did not play well in. The Bulls could still see what Vucevic did to them the night before, and it may have played a factor in why they acquired him at the trade deadline.
Guess the Lakers players!
