On a Tuesday night against the New York Knicks, Luka Doncic would have one of the most incredible performances in the history of the NBA. During the game, he nailed an unbelievable stat of 60 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Also, Luka buried a clutch shot to tie the game, forcing the Knicks into overtime. Only one other player has ever put up a 60-point triple-double (James Harden in 2018 against the Orlando Magic).

If this does not already impress you, look at the greatest single-game performance by game score. Luka Doncic’s game against the Knicks would be the 5th best performance ever, with a score of 56.3. Suppose you look at all the game score performances by NBA players who were 23. Luka will place first in this stat line by a wide merge, with the next player being Shaq, with a score of 48.7.

Luka Doncic Sets Dallas Mavs & NBA Records in Miraculous Win vs. New York Knicks - Sports Illustrated Dallas Mavericks News, Analysis and More
(Luka Doncic shooting over Grimes – Sports Illustrated)

Suppose the Luka stat line needed to be more impressive. In that case, the comeback Maverick had to make is something out of a Hollywood script. With only 33 seconds left in the game, the Mavericks were down by 9 points.

Before this game, there have been 13,884 games where a team has been down by 9 points. None have ever pulled out of a comeback. Luka had to make one free throw and then intentionally miss the next, rebound the ball, and put it back in the basket to tie the game with only 4.2 seconds left. Somehow, Luka was able to pull off this improbable feat and win in overtime. Undoubtedly, this was the Luka’s most outstanding performance this season. In addition, the game broke many other records, as listed in the following.

  1. He broke the most points by a Maverick player, who Dirk previously held in 53 point game in 2004.
  2. He placed 60th as the most points scored by an NBA player in a game.
  3. Luka broke his single-game point record with his, which was previously 51.
  4. Doncic’s counting stat would up add up to 94. That would be the second-highest score since 1979.

Since Christmas, Luka has averaged 43.4 points, 12 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 2.0 steals a game. Currently, Luka is still the favorite for winning MVP with a +350 odd to win, with Celtics’ Jayson Tatum close behind him. The Mavericks are on a seven-game winning streak at this point, evaluating themself to the 4th seed. That will match their previous seeding. If Luka keeps playing at this elite level. He will become only the 7th player to win the MVP at 23. Other players to accomplish this include players like the well-known Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

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Austin Keith '24
Favorite Director: Werner Herzog | Favorite Song: Peg by Steely Dan | Favorite Sport Team: The Cowboy's sadly | Favorite cat: KC | Favorite Band: Steely Dan | _ " I will only speak french if you have a gun to my head" - Werner Herzog