Luka Doncic Scores Historic 73 Points, Guides Mavs to Electrifying Win vs. Hawks

As the Mavs closed the first quarter with Grant Williams at the five with Doncic on the bench, Young guided the Hawks to close the opening period on an 8-0 run. Dallas lacked Kyrie Irving's impact to do the same in that stretch. Atlanta went from trailing when Doncic checked out to being up 31-27 at the end of the first quarter. 

Richaun Holmes, who has rarely played lately, was on the floor in the second quarter to provide a spark with Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber sidelined due to injuries. 

Aside from a few occasional blitzes in the second quarter, Doncic was often able to attack against neutral defenses, and he continued to pick apart the Hawks' defense. 

As the quarter progressed, Atlanta became more focused on switching against Doncic, but it didn't stop him from making plays. Dallas even got creative putting Trae Young's man into screening actions, whether double drag or Stack pick-and-roll, to force him to guard, particularly when the Hawks emphasized switching. 

Doncic scored his 30th point after playing only 17 minutes, using a step-back 3-pointer. He didn't stop there, pouring on Atlanta's defense, scoring 41 points before halftime — setting a new franchise record for points in a single half. The previous record was held by Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 34 in the second half in 2009. 

The Mavs were tied 66-66 at the half despite Doncic's historic first half; given defensively, they struggled to contain dribble penetration and had their base pick-and-roll coverages handily picked apart, and the Hawks often generated clean looks from deep, with strong conversion rate in the first half.

Derrick Jones Jr. fell hard on his wrist after a failed dunk attempt, noticeably impacting it. He went to the locker room before the break, and Dante Exum started the second half in his place. Jones was later ruled out with a left wrist sprain. 

Even after the scoring explosion by Doncic, the Hawks refrained from emphasizing a defensive approach that took the ball out of hands, like blitzing. Dallas' perimeter shooting success continued, helping to create some separation in the third quarter, resulting in a 108-102 lead. 

Early in the fourth quarter, Doncic tied and broke his previous career high (60 points) with momentum-boosting plays, including a tough baseline pull-up and a step-back 3-pointer. It felt like whatever he shot, he was going to make. He was in a zone. 

Continuing to be led by Doncic, the Mavs reached a double-figure lead (117-107) with under 10 minutes remaining in regulation. A slow step finish on a drive by Doncic got him to 65 points with an and-one. Later on, after making a technical free throw, Doncic's scoring total was pushed to 66. 

The Hawks were more aggressive in getting the ball out of Doncic's hands by sticking two defenders on him as the fourth quarter progressed, but the damage was already done. Atlanta sometimes tried to full-court trap, prompting Dallas to deploy him more as a screener to open up his teammates. 

After Green committed a charge on a drive, Murray continued his strong fourth quarter. After finishing at the rim, the Hawks trailed 131-127 with around four minutes left. Hardaway was left wide open in the corner as Doncic was trapped, knocking down the 3-point attempt to extend Dallas' lead. In transition, Doncic played through contact for an and-one finish. By making the free throw, he scored his 70th point. 

Doncic's and-one put the Mavs up by double figures, but the Hawks did not go down without a fight. Murray continued to attack, but Atlanta could not achieve a serious rallying effort. A pivotal offensive rebound by Lively led to a wide-open catch-and-shoot 3-pointer for Exum, giving the Mavs a 140-134 advantage with under a minute and a half left to play. 

Another and-one from Doncic put him at 73 points on the night, proving to be the final nail in the Hawks' coffin, too. He finished his performance being tied for the fourth highest scoring performance in NBA history, trailing two games by Wilt Chamberlain (100 points & 78 points) and Kobe Bryant (81 points). 

The Mavs return to action on Saturday night, completing the second leg of a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center.