Luka Dončić scores a franchise-record 73 factors — tied for 4th all time — and Devin Booker places up 62 on one other wild night time within the NBA

Luka Dončić and Devin Booker went on one other NBA scoring spree Friday night time, making this per week like none different in league historical past.

Dončić broke his Dallas Mavericks franchise file by scoring 73 factors — tying the fourth-most ever — and Booker scored 62 for the Phoenix Suns so as to add to per week of offensive explosions the likes of which the league has by no means seen.

Friday marked solely the fifth time in NBA historical past — and amazingly the second time this week — by which two gamers scored no less than 60 factors. Joel Embiid scored 70 for the Philadelphia 76ers and Karl-Anthony Cities had 62 for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

Earlier than that, the newest such prevalence of two 60-point video games on the identical day was on April 9, 1978, when David Thompson scored 73 and George Gervin 63. The NBA went practically 46 years with out one other such day earlier than Embiid and Cities pulled it off.

Dončić had a recreation topped by solely Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant — Friday was the fourth anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers nice’s dying — on the NBA’s all-time scoring listing. Chamberlain scored 100 on March 2, 1962; Bryant scored 81 on Jan. 18, 2006; Chamberlain had 78 on Dec. 8, 1961.

And now, Dončić has joined their echelon, his 73 tying Thompson and Chamberlain (who did it twice) for fourth-most in an NBA recreation.

“It was lovely,” Dončić mentioned.

Dončić’s earlier profession greatest was 60 factors. He made 25 of 33 photographs within the Mavs’ 148-143 street win towards the Atlanta Hawks, plus went 15 of 16 from the foul line and eight of 13 from 3-point vary.

“Unimaginable efficiency,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd mentioned.

As if all that wasn’t sufficient, Dončić had 10 rebounds and 7 assists. He turned the fifth participant in NBA historical past with no less than 70 factors and 10 rebounds in a recreation, becoming a member of Chamberlain (who did it six occasions), Elgin Baylor, David Robinson and Embiid — who did it Monday.

Add the assists in there, and no person in NBA historical past had as many factors, rebounds and assists in the identical recreation as Dončić did on Friday.

“What he does on the court docket is completely different than anyone else,” Kidd mentioned.

Booker, whose profession excessive is 70 — additionally in a loss, coming in Boston in 2017 — made 22 of his 37 photographs from the sector, 12 of 13 from the road and 6 of 12 from 3-point vary within the Suns’ 133-131 loss at Indiana. Booker missed a 3-point try on the buzzer Friday.

He has scored no less than 59 factors thrice in his profession — and the Suns are 0-3 in these video games.

“He’s a spectacular participant,” Suns coach Frank Vogel mentioned. “I believe he ought to have been voted to be an All-Star starter. I believe the entire world can see that. He’ll be in that recreation when the coaches vote (for the reserves). What a particular efficiency.”

In addition to Monday (Embiid and Cities) and the April 1978 day (Thompson and Gervin, as they dueled on the ultimate day for that season’s scoring title), there have been simply two different cases of two gamers scoring 60 or extra on the identical date.

One was Jan. 17, 1962, (Jerry West scored 63 for the Lakers, Chamberlain scored 62 for the Philadelphia Warriors) and the opposite was Dec. 8, 1961 (Chamberlain had 78 for the Warriors and Elgin Baylor had 63 for the Lakers in a triple-overtime recreation towards one another).

There have been 5 cases of a participant scoring no less than 62 factors within the NBA this season: the 4 this week with Embiid, Cities, Dončić and Booker, plus a 64-point night time from the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Dec. 13 towards the Pacers.

There haven’t been so many 62-point video games in the identical season since 1962-63, when there have been six — all by Chamberlain. The one different season with extra 62-point outings was 1961-62, when there have been 12 (10 by Chamberlain, one by West, one by Baylor).

Leaguewide, NBA groups are averaging about 116 factors per recreation this season — the best charge within the league for the reason that 1969-70 season.