Luka Doncic’s historic triple-double carries Mavericks past Knicks
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles during the second half against the New York Knicks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas star Luka Doncic rewrote the NBA record book on Tuesday with a stunning 60-point triple-double, carrying the Mavericks to a wild 126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.
Doncic added 21 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first player in NBA history with a triple-double featuring at least 60 points and 20 rebounds.
He’s just the second player, after James Harden, to score 60 points in a triple-double, with Harden scoring 60 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a game for Houston in 2018.
“He’s special,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Slovenian star Doncic, who also had two steals and a blocked shot in the contest.
“For a player to do something that’s never been done before — it’s hard to do,” Kidd said. “There’s been some great players before him.”
Doncic posted his career-high in rebounds and notched his seventh triple-double of the season to help Dallas rally for the win.
The Knicks, led by 33 points from Quentin Grimes, were up by nine with 33.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but Dallas out-scored them 12-3 to close the period.
Doncic tied it up with one second remaining, coming up with the rebound of his own intentionally missed free throw and rising through a crowd of players to drain a game-tying jump shot.
“I think it was just kind of lucky,” the 23-year-old said. “I just threw it up.”
At 23 years old, Luka Doncic already has the most 50+ point performances in Mavs history (3).
Watch the best moments from each of them 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hP7mTo2A0S
— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2022
Doncic scored seven of the Mavericks’ 11 points in overtime as they sealed the win, and departed the court to a massive ovation from the Dallas crowd.
“I’m tired as hell,” Doncic said as he was corralled for an on-court television interview. “I need a recovery beer.”
Doncic is the seventh player to record a 50-point tripe-double in the NBA, while the Slovenian 23-year-old becomes the youngest to achieve the feat, taking the record from one of the all-time greats Wilt Chamberlain.
“It’ll be another statue in Dallas … Luka is like that!” Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett said on Twitter.
Julius Randle added 29 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the loss for the Knicks, and Mitchell Robinson added 20 points and 16 rebounds. Dinwiddie scored 25 points and Christian Wood chipped in 19 points for the Mavericks.
New York lost RJ Barrett less than two minutes into Tuesday’s contest due to a finger laceration.
