Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic posted a career-high game score of 64, the second highest behind NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in 1990, in Friday night’s 148-143 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Jordan’s 64.6 game score still leads all NBA players. The Chicago Bulls legend recorded the highest game score in league history in a 117-113 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28, 1990.
Kobe Bryant (63.5) is now third on the all-time game score list, followed by Joel Embiid (62.5), Donovan Mitchell (60.8), Karl Malone (60.2), Damian Lillard (57.6), and other greats.
Luka Dončić just posted a Game Score of 64.0!
That is the 2nd highest score in our database, behind only Michael Jordan in 1990 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FTkHDUgUzC
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) January 27, 2024
Moreover, game score is similar to player efficiency rating (PER). However, calculating it is easier. The game score in basketball considers only the individual performance of a specific player during the game.
Numerous NBA metrics are used to calculate the game score — such as personal fouls, points, assists, field goals, steals, blocks, rebounds, free throws, free throw attempts, turnovers, etc. Each statistic has a weightage factor.
On March 28, 1990, Jordan notched a career-best 69 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, four steals, one block, two turnovers, and five fouls in 50 minutes of action. He finished 23-of-37 (62.2%) shooting from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) beyond the arc, and 21-of-23 (91.3%) at the foul line.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic scores a career-high 73 points against Atlanta Hawks
In Dallas’ win against the Hawks, Doncic amassed a career-high 73 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, four turnovers, and one foul in 45 minutes played. He shot 25-of-33 (75.8%) from the floor, 8-of-13 (61.5%) from 3-point range, and 15-of-16 (93.8%) at the line.
Doncic tied Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-highest scoring game in NBA history.
In the 1961-62 season, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks (March 2, 1962) and 78 points versus the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 8, 1961). Bryant ranks third with his 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors (Jan. 22, 2006).
“Those names are special,” Doncic said. “It’s unbelievable.”
HISTORIC 73-POINT NIGHT FROM LUKA DONCIC 🤯
🔥 73 PTS
🔥 25/33 FGM (75.8%)
🔥 15/16 FTM
🔥 8 3PMHe becomes the 4th player in NBA history to score 73+ points and the first ever to score 70+ on 75% or higher from the field. pic.twitter.com/Afm9cyJung
— NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2024
Furthermore, Doncic finished with 41 points at halftime, which broke Dirk Nowitzki’s franchise record for points in a half. He reached 57 by the end of the third quarter.
The six-year veteran joined Cleveland’s Mitchell as the only players in the Basketball-Reference database (since 1996-97) to record a 41-5-4 stat line or better in a single half.
Additionally, Doncic became the fifth NBA player with at least 70 points and 10 rebounds in a game, joining Chamberlain (six times), Elgin Baylor, David Robinson, and Embiid, who just accomplished this feat on Monday.
NBA betting sites show Doncic with fourth-best odds to win MVP this season. Of course, sportsbooks are showing better odds for Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
