Dazzling Doncic following in mentor Nowitzki's record breaking path
MIAMI: On Christmas Day, the Dallas Mavericks unveiled a statue to their former great Dirk Nowitzki but after Luka Doncic's historical triple double on Tuesday (Dec 28) they might need to commission another monument.
Doncic delivered an astonishing 60-point triple-double as he led the Mavericks to a 126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.
The Slovenian added 21 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first player in NBA history with a triple-double featuring at least 60 points and 20 rebounds.
"It'll be another statue in Dallas ... Luka is like that," quipped former NBA MVP Kevin Garnett.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban certainly wasn't going to dampen the enthusiasm after watching the 23-year-old's jaw-dropping display of dominance.
"We are watching greatness ... I've never seen anything like that ever," he wrote on twitter.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd, who ended his playing career ranked fourth in all-time triple doubles in the NBA, said the fans had been privileged to see such talent on court.
"We sit here every night and we're lucky. We can't take him for granted. Again, people get their money's worth when they come watch him play. He puts on a show," he added.
"He's special. The history of the game is written by the players and it was written again tonight. For a player, Luka, doing something that's never been done before. It's hard to do," he added.
So hard in fact that Doncic was just the second player in NBA history to score 60 points in a triple-double.
James Harden scored 60 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a game for Houston in 2018.
The performance was even more spectacular than the pure numbers - impressive though they were.
The Knicks were up by nine with 33.9 seconds remaining in regulation, but Doncic inspired