Stats Rundown: 4 numbers to know from Mavericks’ OT win against New York, 126-121

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New York Knicks on Tuesday night by a score of 126-121. The story of the game was Luka Doncic, who played what might have been the greatest game in regular season history. His herculean effort helped the Mavericks overcome a nine-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of regulation; his intentionally missed free throw with 4.3 seconds remaining and subsequent score off the offensive rebound sent the game into overtime, where he eclipsed the 60-point barrier en route to an unbelievable victory.

This was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen, and these are the numbers that tell the story:

60-21-10: Luka Doncic’s statline

60 points, 21 rebounds. 10 assists. 21-of-31 from the field. It doesn’t even feel real. Doncic’s 60 points smashed the franchise record of 53, held by Dirk Nowitzki. It was also the first time in NBA HISTORY that a player recorded a 60-point, 20 rebound triple double. There really aren’t adequate words to describe a performance like this. All I can say is I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed it.

Getting the opportunity to watch Luka Doncic play basketball is something that should never be taken for granted. What’s crazy is the Mavericks needed every last bit of this historic production to pull out the win against a shorthanded Knicks team. That’s a conversation for another day. For now, let’s all just bask in the glow of this masterpiece.

0-13,884: NBA teams’ record in the last 20 seasons leading by 9+ with ≤ 35 seconds remaining

It is frankly unfathomable that Dallas won this game. As Tim McMahon via ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, a comeback like this hasn’t occurred in at least two decades.

The Mavericks changed this statistic to 1-13,884 tonight. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Doncic’s fingerprints were all over the rally, and he capped it off with a perfect execution of the extremely difficult “intentional free throw miss” play. After being on the other side of a historic collapse against the Thunder earlier this year, it feels really good to pull something like this off.

28.3: Dallas’s three-point percentage

The Mavericks did not shoot the three well tonight. They went 13-of-46 from beyond the line. Usually, when they have a shooting performance like that from distance, a loss is all but guaranteed. But they won the game tonight! All it took was a 60-point triple double in overtime and one of the most historic comebacks in the history of the league. I’m counting this as progress!

5: Wins in a row for the Knicks at the AAC entering tonight

The last time the Mavericks beat the Knicks on their home floor was nearly six years ago, on January 25, 2017. Luka Doncic was still playing for Real Madrid. It looked like that streak would be extended to six tonight, but obviously Doncic had other ideas. What a night. What a win!

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