Legendary, there is no other way to sum up Luka Doncic’s performance against the New York Knicks! The Mavs star led Dallas to a wild comeback win for the history books with a 60-point triple-double. In the end, the Texans won 126-121 in overtime.
Dallas Mavericks (19-16) – New York Knicks (18-17) 126:121 OT (BOXSCORE)
33 seconds were still on the clock in regulation time, the Mavs actually looked like the definite loser with a 9-point deficit – then it got really crazy! Dallas started a 12-3 run in those 33 seconds with Luka Doncic icing on the cake. The Slovenian intentionally missed a free throw, got his hands on the offensive rebound and sunk an insane throw for overtime straight from the socket.
Several free throws from Doncic, a block from Christian Wood, plenty of free throws missed by the Knicks and finally a fade from the Mavs superstar put Dallas on the road to overtime victory. The Knicks were visibly exhausted, and the guests were certainly demoralized after the bitter end to the regular season. Dallas won overtime 11-6, earning one of the craziest wins of the year.
Doncic’s stat line for the record books ended up being: 60 points 21/31 from the field (2/6 hat-tricks, 16/22 FT), 21 rebounds and 10 assists. He is the only player in NBA history to record a 60-point triple-double with at least 20 rebounds. His point total was not only a personal career high, but also a Mavs record. “I’m dead tired. I need a beer to relax,” was his first conclusion with a big smile. “We were a bit lucky. But it was a great win for the team.”
He was helped by Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. Wood had 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Solid Quentin Grimes (33, 7/16 threes), Julius Randle (29, 18 rebounds) and Mitchell Robinson (20, 16 rebounds) were the Knicks’ best performers, Isaiah Hartenstein scored 5 points in 12 minutes. Jalen Brunson was unable to play in his former home country due to a hip injury but has received a moving video tribute.
Dallas Mavericks make a crazy comeback – Knicks on the ground
The Mavs changed their starting five, with Dwight Powell starting for Reggie Bullock to serve better against the Knicks Big Men. Of course, the Knicks missed Brunson, after a few minutes RJ Barrett also had to leave the game with a right index finger injury. Nevertheless, New York had slight advantages thanks to solid shooting, which Doncic destroyed almost single-handedly with 16 points in the first quarter. 30:28 Reverence.
Wood responded to the Knicks (+9) next run with several buckets, also from downtown, while Doncic earned a break. A little later, Randle provided a good score for the Knicks, although he had already played with three fouls. New York defended a slight lead until halftime (63:55). In the third quarter too, the Mavs offense sometimes lacked the momentum and boost needed to put the guests under pressure. Instead, New York regained a double-digit lead, which also entered the final section, 92:82 Knicks.
An important success factor for the Knicks in this third round was Grimes (12 points), who broke his career high after a few minutes in the final section with his 7th hat-trick of the day. The Mavs forced a few saves, however, and a Dinwiddie pullup three completed a 7-0 run and put things back on fire midway through the quarter (95-99).
Now you can feel much more intensity. However, Dallas repeatedly failed to convert guest misses into their own ball possession. In the entire game, the Knicks had 17 offensive rebounds, in the fourth quarter alone there were 7, which New York used for a clear advantage in second-chance points (27:11).
A Quickley three after one of those offensive rebounds put the guests back at +9. Dallas actually looked at the ball well (9 turnovers), but it was precisely in this late phase of the match that the home team made two turnovers in a row. It’s one of the reasons the Knicks stayed comfortably ahead until the last minute.
After an offensive rebound of his own, Doncic shortened to -3 with one and one. Miles McBride sank one of his two free throws, on the other side Dinwiddie followed up with a triple. The Knicks came back to +3 from the line and then fouled Doncic so he couldn’t tie with a three. However, this tactic didn’t work, also because two Knicks players failed to secure the rebound. This was severely punished.
NBA: Stat Leaders in Mavs vs Knicks
| Category | mavs | reverence |
| Points | Luka Doncic (60) | Quentin Grimes (33) |
| bounces | Luka Doncic (21) | Julius Randle (18) |
| assists | Luka Doncic (10) | Emmanuel Quickley (15) |
| Fly | Luka Doncic (2) | Robinson, McBride (2 each) |
| to block | Chris Wood (3) | – |
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