This Friday, Slovenian Luka Doncic had the best performance of his NBA career and the fourth of all time, scoring 73 points in the 148-143 victory of the Dallas Mavericks at the Atlanta Hawks' field.
Doncic connected on 25 of his 33 field goals, with eight of thirteen on three-pointers, to which he added ten rebounds and seven assists. Doncic's previous career best was 60 points, scored in December 2022 against the New York Knicks.
Doncic set the new record for points in the history of the Dallas Mavericks and the fourth best performance ever in the NBA after Wilt Chamberlain (100 points), Kobe Bryant (81), and again Chamberlain (78).
The absolute record was established in 1962 by Chamberlain, who would also score 78 in 1961. Bryant scored 81 points on a glorious night in 2006 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
Doncic's mark is tied for fourth place with that of David Thompson, achieved in 1978, and two others by Chamberlain, both from 1962.
Only fifteen times in the history of the American league has a performance of this level been recorded and it is also the best scoring record this season.
The 24-year-old Slovenian scored 18 points in the first period (8 of 11 from the field), 23 in the second (8 of 10), 16 in the third (4 of 4), and 16 in the fourth ( 5 of 7).
Doncic, who became a father for the first time a few months ago, was coming off a great moment of form on a personal level. Against the Phoenix Suns, in his team's defeat, he had scored 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
The Slovenian led the Mavericks to victory in Atlanta, where the Texans ended a streak of three consecutive losses. The Mavericks' second-best scorer was Josh Green, with 21 points. Kyrie Irving, for his part, was out for the second consecutive game.
The Hawks succumbed to Doncic's historic night. Their best player was Trae Young, who returned after two games away with 30 points and eleven assists. Jalen Johnson scored 25 points, while Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 24.
The NBA experienced a week of authentic scoring explosions, starting with the 70 points scored by the Philadelphia 76ers center, Joel Embiid, against the San Antonio Spurs.
That same night, Dominican Karl Anthony Towns scored 62 points, the best mark of his career, in a home game lost by his team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, against the Charlotte Hornets.
This same Friday, Devin Booker, star of the Phoenix Suns, scored 62 points in his team's defeat at the Indiana Pacers.
Doncic's feat shook the NBA and legends like Magic Johnson congratulated the Slovenian on their social networks. "What is happening in the NBA? The league is unleashed with another dominant performance. This time, Luka Doncic. 73 points wow! Congratulations to Luka for a fantastic game of 73 points and ten rebounds," wrote Magic Johnson.
