Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks had a memorable night on Friday, scoring 73 points in a 148-143 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
It was the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season, surpassing Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid’s 70-point outburst on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. It also equaled Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-highest total in NBA history. Chamberlain, who holds the NBA record for 100 points, also had a 78-point performance, while Kobe Bryant had 81 points on January 22, 2006.
“Those names are special,” Doncic added. “It’s unbelievable.”
Friday night marks the NBA’s 15th 70-point game, and Doncic is the 10th player to achieve that record.
Doncic had 70 points after converting a three-point play with 2:58 left. With Dallas ahead 140-136, he finished with another three-point play.
Doncic, who averages 33.6 points per game, claimed the performance was “probably at the top” of his career, but he was only focused on winning.
“We’ve been struggling lately,” he added of the Mavericks, who had lost three consecutive games before Friday. “Our mindset was to win. We performed fantastically.”
Doncic’s amazing performance featured 41 points at halftime, breaking Dirk Nowitzki’s club record. He had 57 before the conclusion of the third quarter, then began the fourth quarter with eight consecutive points before ending with 73.
Doncic scored 23 points in the second quarter after starting with 18 in the first.
He shot 25 of 33 from the field, including 8 of 13 from three points, and made 15 of 16 free throws.
“He was going,” said Trae Young, Atlanta’s leading scorer with 30 points. “We tried everything. “We were trying to catch him.”
Josh Green had 21 points for Dallas, but Doncic handled the attack.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Green said.
Doncic also had ten rebounds and seven assists. He became the fifth NBA player to record at least 70 points and 10 rebounds in a game, following Chamberlain (who did it six times), Elgin Baylor, David Robinson, and Embiid, who did it on Monday.
No one in NBA history has had more points, rebounds, and assists in a single game than Doncic did on Friday.
When asked whether his game strategy altered since Doncic was so hot, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said with a grin, “He is the game plan.”
“Some say they are a system, he is the game plan,” Kidd went on to remark. “His ability to make shots, create shots, find open guys, he did that at a high level tonight.”
He continued, “I’ve said it before: we can’t take him for granted. Every night is exceptional. He constantly does something. We might be rough on him at times because of his victories and defeats, but what he accomplishes on the court is unique.”
Doncic’s previous career best of 60 points came against the Knicks on December 27, 2022.
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