San Francisco (AFP) – Luka Doncic reeled off a triple-double with 45 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds to spark the Dallas Mavericks over Golden State 143-133 in a record-shattering NBA matchup on Sunday. The Mavericks and Warriors combined for an NBA single-game record of 48 made three-pointers, breaking the old mark by four, with Golden State sinking 27-of-54 shots from beyond the arc and Dallas hitting 21-of-41 three-point attempts.
“No team could miss. They had 18 threes at half-time and we were still up, which is insane,” Doncic said. “Felt like nobody could miss. It was a fun game. Lot of makes. But it was a physical game too.” Doncic made 16-of-23 shots from the floor, including 6-of-11 three-pointers, and the 25-year-old Slovenian guard added three steals and two blocked shots to his ninth career 40-point triple-double.
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“The guy never ceases to amaze me,” said teammate Klay Thompson. “He never rushes, plays at his own pace. Had 45 points easy as pie he made it look like.” It was the three-point sharpshooting that made the contest historic, crushing the old mark for combined three-pointers in an NBA game of 44 set in February 2023 by Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers, and matched two nights ago by Phoenix and Utah.
The Mavericks, who won for the eighth time in nine starts, and Warriors combined for a one-half NBA record of 30 three-pointers in the first half, which ended with Dallas ahead 81-74. Dallas made 12-of-25 from three-point range in the first two quarters while the Warriors matched another NBA record with 18 three-pointers in a half, making them on 32 attempts. That set the stage for ex-Warrior Thompson to sink the record-breaking 45th combined three-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the fourth quarter off an assist from Doncic.
“I’ve had a great history of shooting the ball well here so I try to tap into that every time I come back,” Thompson said. Thompson had a season-high 29 points, 12 in the last quarter, and sank 9-of-14 shots from the floor and 7-of-11 from three-point range against a club with which he won four NBA titles. “Legendary stuff. Now it’s time to do some legendary stuff in Dallas,” he said. “I truly believe in this team. We have all the ingredients to do something special.”
The NBA record for three-pointers by one team in a game is 29, set by Milwaukee in December of 2020 and matched by Boston two months ago.
Boston’s Porzingis hurt – Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics over league-worst Washington 112-98, but an injury to Kristaps Porzingis dimmed the joy of a road victory. Porzingis, a 29-year-old Latvian center who missed the first month of the season following left ankle surgery, played only 11 minutes before leaving for good with right heel pain in the second quarter. Porzingis has played in only seven games this season, averaging 20.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.
The Wizards fell to 3-21 while Boston improved to 21-5, second-best in the NBA to Cleveland (22-4). At Orlando, the New York Knicks delivered the first home loss of the season to the Magic as Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 22 rebounds in a 100-91 victory. Mikal Bridges had 17 points for the Knicks, who improved to 16-10, while reserve Mo Wagner had 32 to lead Orlando (17-11), which fell to 10-1 at home.
At San Antonio, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards scored 26 points to lead the Timberwolves over the host Spurs 106-92. French star Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points and added 12 rebounds and five assists. Host Phoenix got 28 points from Devin Booker plus 20 from Kevin Durant to power the Suns over Portland 116-109. At Indianapolis, Pascal Siakam scored 22 points to lead the Indiana Pacers over New Orleans 119-104.
The Pacers obtained reserve center Thomas Bryant from Miami earlier Sunday in a deal that sent the Heat the rights to swap second-round picks in the 2031 NBA Draft. Another deal Sunday sent German guard Dennis Schroder from Brooklyn to the Golden State Warriors for forward De’Anthony Melton.
© 2024 AFP
