Luka Doncic became the first NBA player to record six successive 30-point triple-doubles as the Dallas Mavericks pulled away in the second half and defeated the Detroit Pistons 142-124 on Saturday night.
Doncic finished with 39 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, surpassing Rusell Westbrook’s mark of five straight 30-point triple-doubles. He also broke his record with a fifth straight 35-point triple-double.
“That just shows what level he’s playing on right now,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He knows he can score the ball, and he’s also able to find his teammates and lastly, he’s able to rebound the ball.”
Kyrie Irving included 21 points for Dallas, which has won twice in a row after a three-game losing streak.
The match got scrappy down the stretch. With 9:07 left, Stanley Umude was signalled for a glaring four for hitting Hardaway in the head. Then, with 7:03 left, Jalen Duren fouled Gafford hard as he went to the basket on what would have been Doncic’s 10th assist. P.J. Washington lightly nudged Duren away from Gafford, who was on the floor, and Duren retaliated with a harder shove, adding all 10 players into the scrum.
Doncic exited the game immediately after getting his 10th rebound.
“I kept looking at the scoreboard, and he was stuck on nine for a while,” Kidd said. “The Pistons couldn’t miss.”
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