The Dallas Mavericks paid a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies for their 22nd regular season game of the campaign. Despite missing out on the services of the likes of Kyrie Irving in an injury-ridden squad, the visitors won because of the heroics of Luka Doncic. The backcourt maestro shattered records with his 35-point performance in the 120-113 win while brutally mocking the away crowd.
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The 24-year-old went 35-8-6 in 44 minutes on the night as the Texas side rarely let go of the control of the match. Despite a bit of misfiring at times, Luka went 5/10 from behind to arc and 12/13 from the free-throw line to make up for it. Thanks to their talisman’s endeavors, the team led by 17 points before the start of the fourth quarter to eventually register their 14th win of the season.
Doncic seemed to be enjoying the momentum of the game as he was witnessed having fun on the court. With less than two minutes left before the end of the third quarter, the 4x All-Star made fun of the hosts’ fanbase. He was seen displaying a range of emotions and gestures on the floor to supposedly troll the home crowd.
It caught the eyes of the viewers as several of them took to X (formerly Twitter) to let their feelings known about his match-deciding performance. One such fan indicated how the 6’7 shooting guard humiliated the Grizzlies with his display.
Another highlighted the threat of the Slovenian star as he called Luka a “menace”.
One more fan hinted at the same as he referred to this performance as his “villain era”.
Luka Doncic delivered on a crucial night while shattering NBA records
With yet another 30-point show, the 2019 ROTY has now surpassed Carmelo Anthony. Previously, both of them used to be tied at the 9th spot on the list of most number of 30-point games by a player aged 25 or younger. After this performance, Luka now has a total of 147 such games, compared to Melo’s 146.
Not only this but Doncic broke two more records too. His five three-pointers in this encounter helped him become the second-fastest player in NBA history to reach 1000 threes. The international star made it happen in 351 games, compared to Buddy Hield‘s record of achieving the same in one less match.
Alongside this, he became the youngest player in the league’s history to reach that mark. Jayson Tatum held the record previously by reaching the milestone at the age of 24 years and 344 days. In comparison, Luka achieved the remarkable feat at 24 years and 286 days old.
These numbers further showcased why several had backed him in the past to become the next big thing in the NBA. With the league requiring a face of its own soon enough, the Mavs guard remains a top contender for it.
