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Another dominant performance from Doncic lifted the Mavericks over the Heat on Thursday.
CNN
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Dallas Mavericks All-Star Luka Doncic became the first player in NBA history to achieve this feat. Triple-double of 35 points or more in 4 consecutive games On Thursday, his team defeated the Miami Heat 114-108.
Doncic had 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a hard-fought victory over Dallas in front of his home crowd. The 25-year-old shot 50 percent from the floor and made 7 of 13 3-pointers during the game as the Mavs fought back from a double-digit deficit in the first quarter.
An impressive stat line is an added bonus, but for Doncic and the Mavericks, the biggest reason for satisfaction will be getting back in the win column.
Despite Doncic's heroics on the stat sheet in the last three games against the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, Dallas has been on the losing side in each one.
Thursday's win snapped things up, and the Mavs fell to 35-28 on the season.
“It's great, especially when it comes with a win,” Doncic said after the game.
“That's all that matters right now.”
The Slovenian superstar also recorded a triple-double, scoring 30 points or more in five consecutive games. Equals the record set by Russell Westbrook While playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.
LM Otero/AP
Doncic was trying to take a shot during the game.
“You can't take that young man for granted,” Dallas head coach Jason Kidd said of the team's talisman, according to the Mavericks. “You're looking at something as rare as Picasso. He does something every night.”
One of the highlights of Doncic's stellar night came midway through the fourth quarter, when Miami led 97-95.
The stifling Heat defense, led by All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, was forced into a near-stop as the ball went loose as the shot clock expired.
Kyrie Irving regained possession and found Doncic on the wing with his back to the basket. For some reason he A fiercely contested come-from-behind three-point shot He then found the bottom of the bucket as the shot clock expired, restoring Dallas' lead.
“Those are the shots that I like and that I practice,” said Doncic, who leads the league in scoring with 34.6 points per game. “Once I let go, I could feel it coming in. It felt good. I was pretty sure it was coming in.”
Irving, an eight-time All-Star, had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Mavericks, the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, enough to qualify for the play-in tournament.
However, Dallas will aim to earn an automatic playoff berth in the competitive Western Conference, with just five games separating the No. 5 and No. 10 seeds.
Meanwhile, Miami, currently the No. 6 seed in the East, fell to 35 wins and 27 losses. It was a disappointing loss for the 2023 Finals runner-up, who entered this matchup having won seven of their past eight games.
LM Otero/AP
It was a disappointing night for Butler and the Heat.
“They scored theirs, but we made some mistakes,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game.
“There were some things we could have done to make things a little bit tougher for them and protect the paint, and a lot of that is on me.”
For Miami, Terry Rozier, acquired in a trade from the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the season, had 27 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, and sharpshooter Duncan Robinson added 19 points.
The Heat will travel to OKC to take on the Thunder on Friday, while the Mavericks will visit the struggling Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
