Luka’s 73-Point Masterpiece Leads Mavs over Hawks

Only two players in NBA history have scored more points in a single game than Luka Doncic did on Friday night in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

The Dallas Mavericks needed every one of them to break a three-game losing streak.

Luka scored 73 points and, perhaps most incredibly, he did it on just 33 shots, draining 25 of them. He was 8-of-13 from three, 15-of-16 from the free throw line and added 10 rebounds and seven assists for good measure in a 148-143 victory in Atlanta.

After the game, Coach Jason Kidd, who has taken to comparing Doncic to legendary artist Pablo Picasso, marveled at the performance by his star player.

“He was in the zone…Incredible performance,” Coach Kidd said. “This is one of his best paintings. This will sell at a high price, just the way he painted the game tonight. We needed every point. Every minute. And he delivered.”

The 73 points were a career-high for Luka, and a Mavs franchise record for a single game. They are also tied for the fourth most points by a player in a single game in NBA history. At the top of that list is, of course, Wilt Chamberlain in his iconic 100-point effort in 1962. He is followed by Kobe Bryant and his legendary 81-point night in 2006. In third place on the list is Chamberlain again with a 78-point night in 1961.

That’s the complete list.

The 73 points scored by Doncic on Friday matched the output of Denver Nuggets legend David Thompson on April 9, 1978. Chamberlain also had a 73-point game during his Hall of Fame career. Just to be mentioned amongst the likes of Chamberlain and Bryant is rarefied air, but it’s the type that Doncic has been breathing, especially this season. Friday was the ninth time in 40 games this season he has scored 40 or more points.

But Coach Kidd noted that even before the game he could tell Luka was operating on a different plane.

“This was a different Luka,” said Coach Kidd, who has coached Doncic for three of his six NBA seasons. “When you see him smiling, he’s at peace, he’s happy and he’s going to play at a different level. He does get emotional on the court.”

Luka was locked in from the beginning, pouring in 18 points in the first quarter on 8-of-11. But the Mavs found themselves down four points. Sometime during that opening frame, Coach Kidd said after the game that he commented to his staff that the Mavs might need 40 or 50 points from Doncic to give themselves a chance.

“In the first quarter, I was talking to the coaching staff and I said I thought we needed him to go for 40 or 50 tonight to give us a chance to win,” he recalled. “With the injuries and the offense that’s missing, he’s going to carry the load.”

Luka followed with a 23-point second quarter on 8-of-10 from the field and the Mavs and Hawks went into the break knotted at 66-all.

“He gave us [41] in the first half,” Kidd said. “At that point I thought ‘maybe we should not be greedy, but we should ask for another 40’ to make sure we could find a way to win.”

As it turned out, Jason wasn’t that far off. A 16-point third frame put Luka at 57 points entering the fourth and allowed Dallas to extend a lead as high as 11 before settling in at six points. After the game, Coach Kidd asked if he had to alter his game plan with Luka being so hot.

“He is the game plan,” Coach Kidd quipped. “Some say they’re the system. He is the game plan. Every night is special. He always does something. What he does on the court is different than everybody else. This was extra special.”

With records and a win within reach, Luka played the entire fourth quarter. He continued to find his shots, but did so within the rhythm of the game rather than playing an iso-game to pile up points. This was most apparent on two plays in the fourth quarter.

With under eight to play and the Mavs up six, Luka, sitting on 65 points, penetrated with the intention of drawing an extra defender, then dished to an open Tim Hardaway Jr. for a three to extend the lead.

“This is a first for a lot of guys on our roster, to see something special like that,” Coach Kidd said. “Ky might be the only one who has seen something like that. So sometimes guys might be a little nervous to talk to him. You don’t want to make a mistake. Don’t want to mess up. I think it’s a great lesson to learn. We’ve been on the other side of learning from losing, but tonight’s a great [opportunity] to learn from playing with a great player who is going big, to be able to stay in the game and continue to be ready to knock down big shots.

“We’ve seen this before, not at 70, but just being able to measure, making sure he’s not exhausted when we need him. And making sure everybody else stays in-tune to the game because sometimes we all just watch, coaches, players and teammates.”

Later Luka, now sitting on 70 points with the Mavs up just three and a little over a minute to play, turned down a good look at a three to make the extra pass to Dante Exum, who buried a triple from the top of the arc that effectively sealed the deal for Dallas.

“The trust that he had in his teammates, especially down the stretch, getting double-teamed, making the right play, trusting his teammates are going to step up. Exum made a big three. You look at the 70-something points, but the three assists [shy of 10] is probably what he’s thinking about in that locker room. He could’ve had a triple-double,” Jason said. “His ability to make shots, create shots, find open guys, he did that at a high level tonight.”

There will be no rest for the weary as the Mavericks return to action on Saturday night at home against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest-Dallas.