Looking Back on Luka Doncic's 60-Point Explosion Against The Knicks

His performance against New York in 2022 was one of his greatest ever.

Keenan Womack | Sep 15, 2024

Dec 27, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket past New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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When looking back at Luka Doncic's young career, there are plenty of standout performances to choose from – his 73-pointer against the Atlanta Hawks, as do several other outings that have defined him as one of the NBA's best young talents.

The subject of this piece is his first-ever 60-point game, which occurred on December 27, 2022, against the New York Knicks, a game in which his efficiency was key – he hit 21 of his 31 field goal attempts and 16 of his 22 free-throw attempts, in addition to recording a triple-double with 21 boards and 10 assists. It may have been his most impressive game, which is saying a lot considering the number of stat lines he has had that would qualify as most players' top career performance.

Doncic controlled the entire game on the offensive end of the floor, responsible not just for his 60 points, but also for 10 more assisted buckets by Dallas Mavericks players en route to a 126-to-121 overtime victory in Dallas over the Knicks. His rebounding numbers are nearly as impressive as his scoring output – he led all players with 21 boards, more than Julius Randle (18) and Mitchell Robinson (16), the two frontcourt players for New York.

He played with excellent pace, using Christian Wood screens to cut his way through the defense, occasionally lobbing to his center for an assist, or taking it himself and using his touch in the lane. A testament to his dominance was that Dallas shot just 28.3% (13 for 46) from deep and still managed to win, with Luka connecting on only two threes himself as part of his 60 points.

The game was a full indication of just how dominant the Slovenian lead guard can be, using leverage, angles, and screens to get to his spots for easy looks. In the pantheon of elite performances, Luka's 60-point triple-double has to be amongst the top of all time in the regular season.

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Published Sep 15, 2024

KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.