The day after the birth of his first kid, Doncic put up one of the finest stat lines in NBA history.
Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic rode the positive vibes to one of the best statistical performances in NBA history, despite missing Friday’s game to attend the birth of his first child, Gabriela. On Saturday night, Doncic had 36 points, 18 assists, and 15 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players to ever put up those numbers in a game.
And Doncic wasn’t getting meaningless buckets in a blowout either. He was instrumental in rallying the Mavericks to an incredible 30-0 run, the longest in franchise history, to go from being down 24 points to being up six midway through the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Dallas, they were defeated 126-120.
In addition, Doncic became the first player in NBA history to have at least 35 points, 15 rebounds, 15 assists, two blocks, two steals, and five 3-pointers in a single game. And he did it while wearing sneakers with his newborn daughter’s name printed on them.
The Mavericks’ 30-0 run came to an end with a scoreless last two minutes as the Thunder aggressively trapped Doncic to get the ball out of his hands. As a result of two turnovers by Doncic and five missed jumpers by A.J. Lawson, Seth Curry, and Derrick Jones Jr., OKC went on a 10-0 run to finish the game.
Doncic is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 31 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on 39% three-point shooting. The loss dropped the Mavericks to 11-8, and they have gone 4-6 in their previous ten games.