Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic of Ljubljana, Slovenia had one of the biggest and most impressive performances in National Basketball Association history on Friday. In a 148-143 Mavericks win over the Atlanta Hawks, Doncic scored 73 points. That is the fourth most points scored by a player in a single game.
Doncic made 25 of 33 field goals, eight of 13 three-pointers, and 15 of 16 free throws. He also had a double-double (10 rebounds), seven assists, one steal, and was a +13. The only two players ever with more points are Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (100 points in a 169-147 Philadelphia Warriors win over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962 and 78 points in a 151-147 Warriors loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on December 8, 1961), and Kobe Bryant of Philadelphia (81 points in a 122-104 Lakers win over the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006).
There have been two 70 point performances this season. Joel Embiid had 70 points in a 133-123 76ers win over the San Antonio Spurs on January 22.
On Friday, there was a second NBA player who reached the 60-point plateau. Devin Booker of Grand Rapids, Michigan had 62 points in a 133-131 Suns loss to the Indiana Pacers. This was the second consecutive Friday that Booker reached 50 points or more. On January 19, he had 52 points in a 123-109 Suns win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
With the win, the Mavericks improved to a record of 25 wins and 20 losses. They are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference. In addition to the 73 points, Doncic had 41 points in the first half, which set the Mavericks record for most points in a single half.
