On Christmas Day, the Dallas Mavericks unveiled a statue honoring their former legend Dirk Nowitzki, but after Luka Doncic’s historic triple-double two days later, they may have to commission a new sculpture.
Doncic indeed achieved an extraordinary triple-double crowned with 60 points allowing the Mavericks to win a suspenseful victory in overtime against the New York Knicks (126-121).
Breaking Nowitzki’s franchise record of 53 points in a game, the Slovenian added 21 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double with at least 60 points and 20 rebounds. .
“There will be another statue in Dallas… It’s Luka,” joked former MVP (most valuable player) Kevin Garnett.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban rode the excitement of the 23-year-old’s display.
“We are witnessing something big…I’ve never seen anything like it,” he wrote on Twitter.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd, who finished his playing career with 107 triple-doubles, the fourth-highest total in the NBA, spoke of how lucky fans were to see such talent on the court.
“We’re lucky. We can’t take him for granted. Again, people get what they pay for when they come to see him play. He puts on a show,” he said.
“He’s special. The history of the game is written by the players and it was written again tonight. For a player to do something that’s never been done before… it’s hard to pull it off.” , he added.
So tough that Doncic is only the second player to score 60 points in a triple-double. James Harden had 60 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a game for Houston in 2018.
– “He only thinks about winning” –
But Doncic’s performance was even more spectacular than his stats, impressive as they are.
With the Knicks leading by nine points with 33.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Dallas came back in spectacular fashion.
Doncic put the Mavs in a tie with one second remaining, recovering the rebound from a free throw he intentionally missed and rising through a crowd of players to take a jump shot.
Doncic then scored 7 of the Mavericks’ 11 points in overtime to seal the victory, and left the field to a massive ovation from the Dallas crowd.
Kidd pointed out that the determination Doncic showed to find a way to win was typical of his approach.
“He thinks only about winning. He believes he can win every night. As a teammate and a coach, that’s what you want in this dressing room,” he said.
Doncic played for Real Madrid in Spain before being signed by the Mavericks in 2018, after the Atlanta Hawks traded him shortly after drafting him.
The Slovenian was mentored by Nowitzki when he arrived in Texas, with the pair playing together in the German’s final season in 2018-19.
Having played 21 years for the Mavericks, some of Nowitzki’s records will certainly remain intact.
The 2.13m “big man” is the first European to be voted MVP as well as the foreign-born player with the most points in NBA history. Named All-Star 14 times, he is the first European player to have held an All-Star game.
“When you think of Dallas, you think of Dirk,” Doncic said after his statue presentation ceremony.
But Doncic, who already has more regular-season 50-point appearances than the German, is certainly writing his own page in Mavericks and NBA history.
