Luka Doncic experiences a gala evening in the win against the New York Knicks. The NBA superstar leads his Dallas Mavericks to a furious comeback, breaking a record set by Dirk Nowitzki and also writing league history. Meanwhile, Dennis Schröder wins his duel with the Wagner brothers.
With a historic gala, basketball superstar Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA to victory against the New York Knicks. Doncic shone at 126:121 after extra time with 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists and was the first player in league history to create a triple-double with at least 60 points and 20 rebounds. “I’m damn tired,” said Doncic in the subsequent TV interview: “I need a beer to relax.”
The 23-year-old also improved the franchise record set by German NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki (53 points in 2004) with his score. “He’s something special,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said of the Slovenian. The Mavs made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter: at 33 seconds on the clock, the hosts were nine points behind, but still saved themselves in overtime.
In the final seconds, Doncic went to the free-throw line with a three-point deficit. The point guard hit the first try, deliberately missed the second, grabbed the rebound and scored in the air to level. In overtime, the Mavs pulled away thanks to a 10-3 run. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” team owner Mark Cuban enthused about Doncic’s performance.
German professional Isaiah Hartenstein scored five points for the Knicks. Dennis Schröder and the Los Angeles Lakers won the comparison between the German national team and the Orlando Magic around the brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner. With a 129:110 (64:55) away win, the Lakers stopped the negative trend of the last four defeats in a row. Superstar LeBron James scored 28 points. Schröder got seven points. Franz Wagner got 15 points, his brother Moritz 12.
Despite 48 points from Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers lost for the first time in eight straight wins. The Sixers had to admit defeat to the Washington Wizards at home with 111:116 (56:67). Latvia international Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 24 points and hit an important three-pointer in the closing stages.