They build a statue for Dirk… and two days later his hottest record is blown!
Luka Doncic (23) has broken a record previously held by Dirk Nowitzki (44) with the Dallas Mavericks.
Luka Doncic gave Knicks 60 points
The Slovenian scored a team record in the 126:121 (55:63) against the New York Knicks with 60 points after overtime. The old one had been held by Dirk Nowitzki with 53 points.
Thanks to 21 rebounds and ten assists, Doncic had a so-called triple double with two-digit values in three statistical categories for the seventh time this season. The 23-year-old is the first player in NBA history to have 60 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game.
After the game, he said: “I’m bloody tired. I need a beer to relax!”
Bottom up!
The Mavs made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter: at 33 seconds on the clock, the hosts were nine points behind, but still saved themselves in overtime. In the final seconds, Doncic went to the free-throw line with a three-point deficit. The point guard hit the first try, deliberately missed the second, grabbed the rebound and scored in the air to level.
INCOMPREHENSIBLE!
Nowitzki record broken Crazy equalizer at Doncic’s 60-point gala
In overtime, the Mavs pulled away thanks to a 10-3 run. Isaiah Hartenstein scored five points for the Knicks.
Two days earlier, Nowitzki was honored with a statue in Dallas
This Christmas could hardly have been nicer for Dirk Nowitzki.
“It was emotional,” said Dirk Nowitzki after the 44-year-old unveiled his own statue in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on the first holiday under a bright blue sky. As the cylindrical veil was lifted into the air, “it felt like the sun is just perfect today, shining directly on it.”
The Nowitzki statue in Dallas
The statue features Nowitzki’s iconic one-legged backwards throw and is more than seven meters tall overall. “Loyalty never fades away” is appropriately written on the base of the statue, in English: Loyalty never fades away. The Würzburg native had played all of his 21 seasons for the Mavericks in the NBA, setting almost all franchise records there and leading the team to the only championship title so far in 2011.
Nowitzki and Mavericks owner MarK Cuban
“This thing will stand here forever,” the honoree summarized, visibly touched, while standing not far from the Nowitzki Way, which was also named after him. The statue looks “breathtaking”.