Luka Doncic Sets New Mavs & NBA Records in Miraculous Win vs. Knicks
Coming off a thrilling 124-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks took on the New York Knicks for the second time this season. This time, though, the game was played at American Airlines Center, and Knicks star Jalen Brunson was out with a hip injury. The Mavs won 126-121 in overtime, improving their record to 19-16 on the season.
The Mavs deployed a starting lineup that featured Christian Wood and Dwight Powell in the frontcourt to better match the Knicks' size with Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. The disparity in size was evident at times.
Neither team managed to reach a double-figure lead at any point of the first half. The Mavs spent much of the half playing from behind and the Knicks were up by as many as nine moments, ultimately resulting in a 63-55 lead at halftime.
A significant factor in the opening half was that the Mavs shot just 7-25 (28.0 percent) from 3-point range in the first half while the Knicks were 11-26 (42.3 percent) on their attempts. Luka Doncic had 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Wood chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
The Knicks held their first double-figure lead of the night at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter. New York continued to hover around a double-figure lead for much of the period with the Mavs continuing to struggle to convert from 3-point range while Doncic continued to score. He had 35 points entering the final period.
The Mavs outscored the Knicks 13-7 as of the 6:42 mark of the fourth quarter and trailed 99-95. Doncic and Dinwiddie have accounted for all of Dallas' points during that stretch. The comeback effort proved successful and required some miraculous plays to go in their favor. Doncic made the first of a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two, prompting him to intentionally miss the final free throw. The ball was tipped and found Doncic, who put up a floater to tie the game and force overtime. Dallas outscored New York 11-6 in overtime.
Doncic finished with 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, which marked the second-ever 60-point triple-double in NBA history. He set a new franchise record for points in a single game, which was previously held by Dirk Nowitzki. Doncic also broke a tie with Nowitzki for the most 50-point performances in team history with three.
Dinwiddie and Wood had respectable supporting cast outings to complement Doncic. The second-leading scorer for the Mavs was Dinwiddie with 25 points in addition to his six rebounds, and five assists. Wood totaled 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three blocks on the night, which continued his streak of seven consecutive games with at least two blocks.
Next up, the Mavs will finish up their three-game homestand against the Houston Rockets — the team Doncic scored 50 points against last week — before finishing up 2022 with a road game against the San Antonio Spurs.
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