Dallas – Luka Doncic thought his unlikely basket in the last second of regulation actually won the game.
No problem. The Dallas superstar just set the table for a triple-double like the NBA has never seen before.
Doncic had a franchise-record 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, including the to tie the basket from his intentionally missed free throw to force overtime as the Mavericks fought a wild 126-121 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
After grabbing the loose ball on a rebound and firing the 11-foot jumper in one move, the 23-year-old danced around and waved his arms as the thinned-out crowd, expecting defeat, wildly celebrated.
It was 115-115 with 1.0 seconds remaining.
“A lot of people asked me about it in the dressing room and I said I thought we won,” Doncic said. “That’s why I went to the crowd like this. I thought we won the game and then I see it’s a draw. I was like, ‘Oof.'”
Dallas was usually behind with nine 33 seconds remaining before leveling in a back-and-forth sequence crowned by Doncic grazing the rim and hitting the backboard with the deliberate miss.
The first 60-point game in Dallas history also featured Doncic’s rebounding career and was the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history. The young Slovenian had his seventh triple-double and the league’s best performance of the season.
The Mavericks moved three games over .500 with a fourth straight win, both brands hitting their season highs.
Quentin Grimes posted a career-high 33 points and Dallas native Julius Randle had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a fourth straight game after an eight-game winning streak, their longest in nearly nine years.
Jalen Brunson missed the game with a hip injury and was unable to play on his return to Dallas.
New York was essentially without two starters after RJ Barrett was eliminated 96 seconds into the game with a cut finger but was less than a minute behind in regulation.
“I thought we were playing well,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “Didn’t complete the last 30 seconds of the game.”
After Miles McBride missed one of two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 25, hit a 3-pointer to put Dallas at 113-112.
McBride next made both free throws for a 115-112 lead with 7.7 seconds left, then Grimes fouled Doncic before the Dallas superstar could attempt to tie a potential 3-pointer.
Doncic made the first free throw before the miss with 4.2 seconds left and then landed with the ball after bouncing off several sets of hands.
“I know it was two seconds or so,” Doncic said. “I just handed it over, hopefully it went in.”
The teams missed the first nine shots of overtime combined, all points coming from free throws before Doncic hit a jumper to give a 122-117 lead with 1:08 left.
Doncic was 21st of 31 on the field and 16th of 22 from the line while surpassing Dirk Nowitzki’s previous club record of 53 set on 2 December 2004.
The 23-year-old’s record night came two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of Nowitzki outside the arena.
“I’m tired as hell,” Doncic said after playing except for 12 seconds in the second half and overtime and 49 minutes in total. “I need a recovery beer.”
Dallas led in regulation for less than a minute but never fell behind in overtime. Doncic gave the Mavs a definitive lead 118-116 in the middle of overtime with two free throws.
Brunson missed his first game of the season on his first visit to Dallas, where the point guard spent his first four seasons before signing with the Knicks in free agency last summer.
The two-time NCAA champion from Villanova was allowed to play his former team in New York in early December when the Mavericks clinched a 121-100 win.
TIP INS
Knicks: Immanuel Quickley started for Brunson and had a career-high 15 assists and 13 points. … Mitchell Robinson had a season-high with 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Mavericks: F Dorian Finney-Smith will miss at least two more weeks with a right adductor strain that has sidelined him the last four games. … Christian Wood had 19 points and nine rebounds.
NEXT
Knicks: Thursday in San Antonio when New York hits all three Texas cities. The visit to Houston wraps up Saturday’s three-game trip.
Mavericks: The Rockets at home on Thursday in the first of two meetings in five days. The Houston rematch is Monday.
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