The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-118 on Thursday night. In their process, their star, Luka Dončić, made history.
Dončić finished the game with 45 points. It was the fourth 45+ game of his career. In his entire career with the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki “only” reached 45 points three times. Dončić’s fourth such game tied him with Mark Aguirre for the most in the history of the franchise.
But Dončić didn’t only make Mavericks history. His overall game included not only 45 points but also 15 rebounds, eight assists, seven three-pointers, and a plus-minus of 21.
You can count on one hand how many players in the history of the NBA have had a game like that. In fact, prior to Thursday, you wouldn’t need one hand or even one finger. Dončić ‘s game was the first of its kind in NBA history.
Even crazier is that Dončić ‘s performance could have been even better.
Regardless of those minor hiccups, basketball fans were in awe of his outing.
https://twitter.com/HouseMavericks/status/1494486543167369223
Nothing you can do about Luka when he’s on like this lol https://t.co/VIl6I8gWrY
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 18, 2022
As gaudy as the offensive numbers are for Dončić, his play on the other side of the ball is also turning heads.
"I think he's always been able to play defense. Sometimes players just need to be asked to do something." – Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic's defense
— The Kobe Beef (@TheKobeBeef) February 18, 2022
Of course, Dončić’s game on Tuesday didn’t come out of nowhere. It was his latest over what’s been a red-hot run over his last 10 games, which coincided with something else happening.
Dončić’s stretch has also coincided with a 7-3 record from Dallas. We can only imagine that Mavericks fans will be OK with continued snubs if that’s the kind of play that will follow them.