Luka Doncic beats Knicks in unprecedented fashion: 7 numbers to know from Mavericks star MVP night

Luka Doncic delivered one of the greatest performances in NBA history Tuesday night, tallying a stat line that even I can’t believe sitting here writing: The Mavericks’ absolutely wild 126-121. 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Beat the Knicks in overtime.

It was the first 60-point, 20-rebound triple-double in NBA history, and the second 60-point triple-double after James Harden’s 60-11-10 line in 2018.

1. First 60 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists
2. Second 60-point triple-double in history (James Harden, 60-11-10)
3. First 60-point, 20-rebound game since Shaq in 2000
4. NBA’s first 60-point game of the season
5. Mavericks single game scoring record.
6. Doncic’s career highs (points and rebounds)
7. Doncic’s 56.3 game score is sixth highest since 1983-84

The final numbers are from CBS Sports’ research department. Game scores reflect overall box scores in identifying the best single game performance. In 1883-84 only five were better than Doncic’s 56.3:

• Michael Jordan (64.6): 69 points, 23-37 FG, 18 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 Stl
• Kobe Bryant (63.5): 81 pts, 28-46 FG, 18-20 FG, 3 Stl
• Karl Malone (60.2): 61 points, 21-26 FG, 19-23 FT, 18 Reb
• David Thompson (57.0): 73 points, 28-38 FG, 17-20 FT, 7 Reb
• James Harden (56.6): 60 points, 10 Reb, 11 Ast, 17-18 FT, 4 Stl
• Luka Doncic (56.3): 60 points, 21 revs, 10 ass, 21-31 FG, 16-22 FT

Wilt Chamberlain’s numbers are supposed to be mythical. Doncic is topping them here. The most points scored in a game in which Wilt had 20 rebounds was 53.

I mean, it was just crazy how easy Luca created this look. A Mavericks win couldn’t have been possible. It was 9 points behind with 33 seconds remaining. With him 4.2 seconds remaining and Dallas two seconds behind him, Luca deliberately missed his throw, chipped his drill and scored on his rebound to tie the game.

Another number to consider: 13,884. This is the number of games in which his team led by 9 points or more with 35 seconds or less remaining. Want to know how many of those teams lost the game? not one. I apologize to all Knicks fans.

Doncic said in a post-match interview, “I’m so tired. He should be. It’s rare to say something like this, but you may never see a game like this in your lifetime.” That includes everyone reading this actually everyone on the planet regardless of age I know records are made to be broken but 60 points, A 20-rebound triple-double could last forever.

Is this enough to move Doncic to the front of a crowded early MVP race? It’s hard to argue against that. Joel he the night Embiid dropped his 48 and his 10 Doncic drew that line quite childishly even though Embiid was basically the top his scorer in the league (33.7 to 33.6) . But this goes beyond numbers. A night like this hits on a gut level.Doncic is the most compelling player in the game today. He took our breath away again on Tuesday.