ATLANTA (AP) — Luka Doncic scored a franchise-record 73 points, tied for fourth in NBA history and surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain And Kobe Bryantto power the Mavericks to a 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Doncic surpassed his personal-high and team-high 60 points after scoring a team-high 41 points in the first half.
His record-breaking night came just four days after Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. scored a franchise record 70 pointsthen the most in the NBA this season, during the 76ers’ 133-123 victory against San Antonio on Monday night.
A three-point play with 2:58 left gave Doncic 70 points. With Dallas leading 140-136, Doncic added another three-point play to cap off his night.
Against the team that drafted him in 2018, Doncic joined Chamberlain and David Thompson among players who scored 73 points. Chamberlain, who holds the NBA record with 100 points, also had a game with 78 points, while Bryant finished with 81 points on January 22, 2006.
The Mavericks took advantage of Doncic’s big game to end their three-game losing streak while handing the Hawks their fourth straight loss. Doncic made 25 of 33 shots from the field, 8 of 13 3-pointers and 15 of 16 free throws. Field goals made set another personal record.
Trae Young led Atlanta with 30 points, including a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left that cut Dallas’ lead to 146-143. Jalen Johnson added 25 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 24.
Doncic scored 23 points in the second quarter after opening the scoring with 18 points in the first.
Doncic, who is averaging 33.6 points, made a 3-pointer with 4:48 left in the third quarter, giving him a season-high 51 points. He then went for his career-high 60 points, also the Dallas record, set against the New York Knicks on December 27, 2022.
The Hawks had no answer for Doncic. Jalen Johnson started as Atlanta’s primary defender at the 6-foot-7 guard. Saddiq Bey, Defeat Murray and others tried unsuccessfully to slow Doncic’s scoring pace.
Doncic’s milestone game took place in his original NBA home, at least for a few minutes.
Doncic was selected by the Hawks with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft before having his draft rights traded to Dallas for Young with the No. 5 pick and a 2019 first-round pick used to select Cam Reddish .
Doncic scored 41 points in the first half to set a franchise record for points in any half. He made 17 of 22 shots from the field, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range, at halftime.
The Mavericks’ previous record for points in a half was 34 per Dirk Nowitzki in the second half against Utah on November 3, 2009.
Guard of the Mavericks Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game with a sprained right thumb. He was injured Monday against Boston.
Dallas forward Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a sprained left wrist with 30 seconds remaining in the first half and did not return.
Young cleared the concussion protocol after missing two games.
The rematch between the teams, originally scheduled for April 5 in Dallas, has been rescheduled for April 4, the league announced Friday.
FOLLOWING
Mavericks: Host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. The Kings, who are one spot ahead of eighth-place Dallas in the Western Conference, won the first meeting between the teams, 129-113, on Nov. 19 in Dallas.
Hawks: Host Toronto on Sunday. The teams have split two matches this season.
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