Luka Doncic Ties Dirk Nowitzki for Most 35-Point Games in Dallas Mavs History
DALLAS — Luka Doncic has broken many records throughout his NBA career, whether he's making new Dallas Mavericks history or shattering league records. He did it again after finishing with 39 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
Doncic recorded his 78th regular season game with 35 or more points. He tied Dirk Nowitzki for the most in Mavs history after having recorded the most regular season games with at least 40, 45, or 50 points.
It'll take some time before he touches Nowitzki's record for the most games with 30 or more points in franchise history. The Slovenian superstar still has 12 more to go before passing Mark Aguirre for the second most and trails Nowitzki by 96.
Doncic has done his best to make ground on Nowitzki's record for 30-point performances, given he's currently tied with Joel Embiid for the longest active streak of consecutive performances scoring 30 points.
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nowitzki joked about wanting Doncic to break his record for most seasons played with one franchise (21) before unveiling his statue outside American Airlines Center on Christmas Day of last year.
"Well, we hope Luka can break it! That would be pretty cool," Nowitzki said.
Doncic, 24, wasn't so sure about his ability to do it.
"I don't know about 21 years," Doncic said. "That's a long time to play basketball. I'd rather go back to my farm in Slovenia."
While leading the Mavs to a 15-8 record in the 23 games he's played, Doncic has averaged 32.3 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.1 rebounds this season. He remains a strong candidate for the 2024 NBA MVP award and an All-NBA First-Team spot.
Doncic is rapidly approaching scoring 10,000 career regular season points, too. He enters Saturday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers with 9,844 points, which means he will reach this feat in the next five games he plays if he produces at his season average.
