LEGENDS LIST: Mavs' Luka Doncic Drops 73 on Hawks; Most Points Scored Since Lakers' Kobe Bryant
After losing three consecutive games, Luka Doncic came to Atlanta with something to prove on Friday night. The newly-minted five-time All-Star torched the Atlanta Hawks to the tune of 73 points while leading the Dallas Mavericks to a much-needed 148-143 win.
Doncic was more than just a scorer though, as he also tallied 10 rebounds, seven assists and one steal while shooting 25-33 from the field, including 8-13 from deep and 15-16 from the free-throw line. It was the most efficient 70-point game in NBA history with a true-shooting percentage 91.2 (h/t Stat Mamba).
With his co-star Kyrie Irving missing a second consecutive game due to a thumb sprain, the Mavs needed every bit of the history-making performance to get back into the win column.
Doncic's 73-point night was not only a new career-high and franchise-best – previously set by Doncic last season when scored 60 against the New York Knicks – but it also tied for the fourth-highest scoring game in league history. The only players in NBA history to score more points in a single game than Doncic include Wilt Chamberlain (78 in 1961, 100 in 1962) and Kobe Bryant (81 in 2006).
Doncic scored the most points in a single game since Bryant's 81 in 2006 nearly two decades ago. For context, Doncic's 73 points came on 33 field-goal attempts and 16 free-throw attempts, while Bryant's 81 points came on 46 field-goal attempts and 20 free-throw attempts. Coincidentally, Friday also marked the four-year mark of the Los Angeles Lakers legend's tragic passing in 2020.
The Mavs won't have much time to celebrate Doncic's great achievement, as they'll fly back to Dallas to take on the Sacramento Kings on a second night of a back-to-back on Saturday. We'll see if Irving can return from a two-game absence so Doncic doesn't have to score 70 points in back-to-back nights to get the Mavs another win.
