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Luka Doncic's historic 60-point triple-double lifts Mavericks past Knicks in wild comeback

ryan young
Staff writer
·3 min read
329

Luka Doncic is at it again.

The Dallas Mavericks superstar dropped a historic 60-point triple-double in a wild 126-121 overtime win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Doncic’s statline is impressive enough. He scored a career-high 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. It was a franchise scoring record and it made Doncic the youngest player in league history to have a 50-point triple-double. He's also the only player to have a 60-point, 20-rebound triple-double.

How he ended the fourth quarter was truly ridiculous.

Doncic and the Mavericks erased a nine-point Knicks lead in 33 seconds to force overtime, thanks to a big late 3-pointer from Spencer Dinwiddie and then a heroic final shot from Doncic.

That shot came after Doncic intentionally missed a free throw and then somehow grabbed the rebound and put it back in himself.

The reaction was just as good as the shot, even if it was admittedly a bit excessive.

“Honestly, a lot of people asked me about this back in the locker room, and I thought we won it,” Doncic said, via the Dallas Morning News’ Callie Caplan. “When I went to the crowd like this, I thought we won the game.

“I see it’s tied, and I was like, ‘Oof.’ I didn’t know what to do.”

The Mavericks then pushed ahead quickly in overtime, holding the Knicks to just two free throws in the first four minutes of the extra period, to complete the comeback and grab the five-point win. Doncic had seven of Dallas’ 11 points in overtime, which got him to 60 on the night.

“I’m tired as hell,” Doncic said after the win. "I need a recovery beer."

Quentin Grimes led the Knicks with 33 points and six rebounds while shooting 7-of-16 from the 3-point line. Julius Randle added 29 points and 17 rebounds. The Knicks, after winning eight straight, have now lost four in a row.

Teams who led by at least nine points with 35 or fewer seconds remaining in the game were 13,884-0 over the past 20 seasons, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic had a 60-point triple-double on Tuesday night in a historic comeback over the Knicks. (AP/LM Otero)

Dinwiddie added 25 points in the win for the Mavericks, and Christian Wood finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.

The Mavericks have won four straight. Doncic averaged nearly 42 points, 9.8 assists and 11.8 rebounds over that stretch, which included another 50-point outing Friday in Dallas' win over the Houston Rockets.

"The kid doesn't quit," head coach Jason Kidd said, via the Dallas Morning News' Callie Caplan. "He doesn't quit ... Just in awe to see a young player like that."

It wasn't just Kidd in awe. Plenty across the league were just as stunned.

While relying only on Doncic isn't a sustainable plan for Dallas long term, there's no arguing that the strategy is working now.