Luka Doncic's Historic Triple-Double Leads Dallas Mavs to Victory Over Charlotte Hornets

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic used a historic triple-double performance to guide a victory over the Hornets.

Apr 9, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks to shoot / Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

CHARLOTTE — To begin a road back-to-back, the Dallas Mavericks (49-30) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (19-60) with a final score of 130-104. Luka Doncic gave an electrifying performance with 39 points, surpassing Mark Aguirre for the most in a season in Mavs history.

"[It means] a lot. It's the franchise that drafted me," Doncic said of breaking Aguirre's record. "They gave me, they say, 'the keys.' They say it like that, but I'm just glad I'm here in Dallas."

Apr 9, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks to shoot / Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic added 12 rebounds and 10 assists on the night. The Slovenian superstar recorded his 77th regular-season triple-double, tying James Harden again for eighth on the all-time leaderboard. The MVP candidate helped solidify the Mavs' outlook as a top-six seed in the Western Conference standings as they remain fifth with the victory.

Daniel Gafford was a frequent recipient of Doncic's playmaking while also significantly impacting the boards doing the dirty work, totaling 26 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. With Dereck Lively II sidelined due to a right knee sprain, Gafford's impact was especially needed.

“[Luka] comes down and gets whatever he wants on a night-to-night basis," Gafford said. "He finds the right shots, he finds the right guys on the perimeter, and there’s so much attention that gravitates towards him and Kyrie which helps the team out a lot because they make plays on both sides too.”

Kyrie Irving followed up his 48-point performance with an off-shooting night, but he still racked up 18 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Other double-figure scoring outings for the Mavs include Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 15 points and Maxi Kleber's 10 points.

The Hornets faced additional motivation for this game, considering it was the final time Steve Clifford would serve as head coach at Spectrum Center. Charlotte did not see the results translate early and never overcame the slow start.

The Mavs faced off against the Hornets for the first time since engaging in the midseason trade featuring P.J. Washington and Grant Williams. Charlotte started and often deployed Williams at the five, allowing Dallas to gain more reps guarding a five-out offense. Washington was held to one point and missed all seven shot attempts but still totaled seven rebounds and three assists. Williams ended his night with 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds.

"I think the trade was great for us. But Grant is a great guy," Doncic said. "We have a good relationship, I'll tell you. Some people say we don't, but we have [one]."

After Doncic converted a step-back 3-pointer and received a thread-the-needle pass on a give-and-go exchange with Irving, the Mavs achieved a 16-11 lead midway through the first quarter. Doncic continued his rhythm from beyond the arc, hitting another step-back followed by a pull-up 3, all while Kleber added a make from deep in between.

With Doncic converting on five 3-point attempts in the first quarter, his final finish attempt of the opening quarter extended his scoring total to 21. Dallas was 36-18 in what proved to be a dominant start. He missed his final three shot attempts of the frame, excluding a heave before the buzzer, but still managed to have a highly efficient start to his night.

“I thought the guys were locked in that first half and we got off to a really good start. Luka set the tone for us," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.

Irving heated up after a scoreless first period while leading the Mavs' bench group. He scored on multiple drives for pull-ups then played off two using a shot fake to setup a lob to Gafford. With Charlotte struggling to contain dribble penetration, Jaden Hardy soon connected with Gafford on a lob before spraying it out to Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner for a made jumper. After this series of plays, Dallas was up 47-23 at the 8:55 mark.

“With teams like this, and no disrespect to them, at the end of the day, we just have to go out and handle business," Gafford said. "These types of teams are not going to let down. They will come out and try to throw a punch. At the end of the day, Houston threw a punch at us for sure, and it was a dog fight, and it was a dogfight from the beginning of the game to the end. We didn’t want that to happen tonight so we came out with a different mentality tonight to just come out and handle business.”

Doncic checked back into the game with the Mavs up 51-31 with over seven minutes remaining before halftime. Charlotte was focused heavily on blitzing Doncic to make him give the ball up, which ended up creating plenty of clean looks for his teammates.

“They’re one of the best offenses in the league for a reason. Those two are elite players who create a lot of opportunities for guys," Williams said of the Mavs. "You can’t allow them to just play isolation – you’ve got to send two. They’ve learned to do a good job of not only spacing the floor and taking the shots that are open, but being aggressive downhill, creating a second drive for that next rotation and scrambling defense.”

Even when trying to contain a player of Doncic's caliber with blitzes, he broke loose for an and-one finish after getting the ball back out of a 4-on-3 situation. Irving then continued to make plays against single coverage — maximizing the pressure on the Hornets' defense. Dallas was up 69-47 at the break, with Doncic already having 27 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Irving added nine points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Kleber already had 10 points.

The Hornets went from blitzing early to switching the initial screen and late doubling, but Doncic also picked that approach apart. He already reached the 30-point threshold early in the period using another step-back 3-pointer. With Gafford frequently in a position to receive passes for dunks, Dallas sustained momentum.

"The catch and finish is something that we haven't had in a game, but the double teams, with him rolling and with his aggression, it was really, really good for us and we needed that," Kidd said of Gafford. "And also, the offensive rebounding,, we get the offensive rebounds and go back to the paint for us."

Late in the third quarter, the Hornets began living with just switching against Doncic, but he made them pay for doing that, too, converting on his eighth 3-pointer of the night.

Charlotte played fast and went on a run to close the third period on a 7-0 run, outscoring Dallas 36-28 in the frame. The Mavs' advantage was reduced to just 97-83 entering the fourth quarter after often being up by 20 or more points throughout the quarter.

With Doncic on the bench, the Hornets continued to play hard to cut into the Mavs' lead. Charlotte emphasized blitzing Irving to get the ball out of his hands, with Dallas strugging to make shots. After Tre Mann hit a short-range jumper, the Hornets trailed by only 12 points with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

Doncic, Exum, and Jones checked into the game with 7:29 remaining in regulation, with the Hornets still hanging out down by 14 points. A deep 3-pointer from Davis Bertans briefly cut the Mavs' lead to 11 points before Irving answered with a pull-up from deep to stifle Charlotte's momentum. Dallas still needed its top players on the floor to close the game.

After attacking the baseline, a reverse layup from Doncic solidified a 115-97 edge for the Mavs with 5:20 left to play. Charlotte had called a timeout with the momentum slipping back in Dallas' favor. After the break, Doncic received a post touch and read Charlotte trying to overload the strong side, creating a lob to Jones in the dunker spot. Doncic dished out a 10th assist by finding Gafford on the following possession. Up by 24 points, Dallas soon put in reserves to finish it out.

Dallas improved to 15-2 over its previous 17 performances, led by an NBA-best 106.3 defensive rating during this span. With the Hornets deploying small ball personnel that can space out from beyond the arc, the Mavs were able to continue to experiment with different schemes and approaches, just as they did against the Rockets who started with Amen Thompson effectively playing the five. Kidd sees it as being beneficial to solidify their options come playoff time.

"Yeah, being able to throw different pitches and different matchups, I think we've been able to do that," Kidd said. "Especially that Houston game, putting Luka on the primary scorer and being able to work the defense around him. Tonight, being able to [switch]. We normally don't just come out and [switch] everything. I thought the guys did a really good job over that.

"We can continue to build, watch film, and our walkthroughs are our practices right now," Kidd explained. "Just being able to go through different scenarios as we get ready for our opponent."

The Mavs struggled to handle teams with five-out capabilities shortly after the NBA All-Star break, with a stretch of being the NBA's worst defense after facing the Indiana Pacers with Myles Turner twice and the Boston Celtics with Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic says the team is "way better" at defending this style of play and personnel.

"Way better. I think we're first in defense since March," Doncic said. "But great, I mean, everybody, I think we can guard one through five. We can switch, and we have Gafford and Lively down there, so they help us."

Kleber is often relied on as a closing center option so the Mavs can switch everything and stifle screening actions. Gafford has embraced the challenge of guarding in space, particularly if he has to switch or play up in ball screen coverage. He feels his performance against the Hornets was a strong indication of his development.

"I want to be a better defender in general, and it's just another step," Gafford said. In my playing style, what's going to help me defensively is being able to come out and move my feet around the perimeter. I just want to be able to take that challenge and come out and help the team as much as I can. But tonight, I feel like I actually took a step in the right direction. Most definitely.

Looking ahead, the Mavs will conclude their two-game road trip with a matchup against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.