Dallas coach Jason Kidd wasn’t concerned about Luke Dončić’s scoring drive disrupting the Mavericks’ game plan.
“He’s the game plan,” Kidd said.
On a record night, it was a winning plan.
Dončić scored a franchise-record 73 points, ranked fourth in NBA history and surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant, leading the Mavericks to a 148-143 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Dončić blew past his personal best and team record of 60 points after scoring a team record 41 points in the first half.
His record-setting night came just four days after Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points, then the most in the NBA this season, in the 76ers’ 133-123 victory over San Antonio on Monday night.
Through it all, Dončić continued to look for his teammates and more contributions than points. He grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and led the Mavericks with seven assists.
“The three assists are probably what he’s thinking about in the locker room to have a triple-double,” Kidd said.
Doncic insisted the win was the biggest reason to celebrate after overcoming the constant extra attention from Atlanta’s defense.
“You have to keep playing and have faith in your teammates,” Doncic said.
a three-point play with 2:58 to go, Doncic put up 70 points. With Dallas ahead 140-136, Doncic added another three-point play to end his night.
Against the team that drafted him in 2018, Dončić joined Chamberlain and David Thompson among the players who scored 73 points. Chamberlain, who holds the NBA record with 100 points, also had a 78-point game, while Bryant finished with 81 points.
“Those names are special,” Dončić said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Dončić’s teammates showered him with a water shower in the locker room, as cheers rang out from the hallway.
The Mavericks rode Dončić’s big game to end their three-game losing streak while handing the Hawks their fourth straight loss. Doncic made 25 of 33 shots from the field, 8 of 13 three-pointers and 15 of 16 free throws. The field goals made set a new personal record.
‘He was hot. He went,” said Trae Young, who led Atlanta with 30 points. “We tried everything. We tried to trap him.”
Josh Green scored 21 points for Dallas, but Dončić carried the offense.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Green said.
Young’s three-pointer with five seconds left cut the Dallas lead to 146-143. Jalen Johnson added 25 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 24 for Atlanta.
Dončić scored 23 points in the second quarter after opening with 18 in the first.
Dončić, who averages 33.6 points, scored a three-pointer with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter, giving him a season-high 51 points. He then focused on his career high of 60 points, also the Dallas record, set against the New York Knicks on December 27, 2022.
The Hawks had no answer for Dončić. Jalen Johnson opened as Atlanta’s top defender at the 6-foot-1 guard. Saddiq Bey, Dejounte Murray and others tried without success to slow Dončić’s high-scoring pace.
Dončić’s milestone game took place in his original NBA home – at least for a few minutes.
Dončić was selected by the Hawks with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft before his draft rights were traded to Dallas for Young with the No. 5 pick and a 2019 first-round pick used to select Cam Reddish .
Dončić scored 41 points in the first half, setting a franchise record for points in any half. He made 17 of 22 shots from the field, including 6 of 9 three-pointers, in the half.
The Mavericks’ previous high mark for points in a half was 34 by Dirk Nowitzki in the second half against Utah on November 3, 2009.
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game with a sprained right thumb. He was injured against Boston on Monday.
Dallas forward Derrick Jones Jr sprained his left wrist with 30 seconds left in the first half and did not return.
Young was in compliance with the concussion protocol after missing two games.
The rematch between the teams, originally scheduled to take place April 5 in Dallas, has been moved to April 4, the league announced Friday.