He didn't snap out of his shooting slump but Luka Doncic did enough to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their third win of the season by defeating the Rockets in Houston.
Well, actually he did more than enough. He set and broke multiple all-time records over the course of this game, that at times nearly became too difficult to keep track of.
First off, with his first assist of the game very early in the first quarter, he became the 11th player in NBA history to dish out 1,000 assists before turning 22.
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ career assists 🤯 #MFFL | @luka7doncic pic.twitter.com/RLu8OWAVUK
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 5, 2021
He also became the fourth-fastest player in NBA history to record at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists. Only Oscar Robertson, Ben Simmons, and Magic Johnson have reached the mark in fewer games.
After that assist, the Mavericks never trailed and led by as many as 18 before eventually winning 113-100 at the final buzzer.
Doncic would go on to record his first triple-double of the season with game-high numbers of 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. This was the 26th triple-double of his career and he isn't even his 22 yet.
Most career triple-doubles before turning 22:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 5, 2021
26 — Luka Doncic
25 — Next 2 players combined (Magic Johnson, Ben Simmons) pic.twitter.com/OqBGlMux3I
That's not all. He has more 30-15-10 triple-doubles before turning 22 than the rest of the players in NBA history. He led the team in all three categories of points, rebounds, and assists for the 39th instance, a franchise record.
Career games played with Dallas:
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) January 5, 2021
Dončić: 139 games
Nowitzki: 1,522 games
Finley: 626 games
However, he couldn't do it all alone. Doncic was supported by Tim Hardaway Jr.'s red-hot shooting off the bench. The 28-year-old, 6'5" guard scored 30 points in 31 minutes on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, eight of which came from beyond the arc.
"Tim Hardaway showed you what class and professionalism is responding to a lineup change," Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame.
For the Rockets, four players scored in double figures. James Harden was the top contributor with a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists but the hosts never seemed like a threat.
This is only the Mavericks' third win through seven games of the season. Despite sitting under .500, the 3-4 record is still impressive given each of their wins has come against playoff teams like Miami, LA Clippers, and now Houston with Doncic having shooting splits of .442/.195./.804.
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