Luka in 'rare air'; 7th 30-point game to open year

DALLAS -- It has been sixty years since the NBA has seen a season-opening scoring streak similar Luka Doncic's sizzling commencement to the season.

Doncic has scored astatine slightest 30 points successful each of the Dallas Mavericks' archetypal 7 games, the longest 30-point streak to commencement a play since Wilt Chamberlain successful 1962-63. It's a feat that has lone been accomplished 3 times previously, doubly by Chamberlain and erstwhile by Jack Twyman.

Doncic is averaging a league-leading 36.1 points per game. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that is the 3rd highest-scoring mean done 7 games successful the past 60 seasons down Michael Jordan (37.0 successful 1986-87) and James Harden (36.6 successful 2019-20).

"That's uncommon aerial and we get to spot that connected a nightly basis," Mavs manager Jason Kidd said aft Doncic had 33 points successful a 103-100 triumph implicit the Utah Jazz connected Wednesday night. "That's beauteous cool. A 23-year-old kid that is playing connected this level is really, truly peculiar to see. He tin bash it successful truthful galore ways, erstwhile you speech astir posting up oregon getting to the basket, shooting the 3 oregon shooting that small measurement back.

"It's truly chill to watch, and it conscionable shows the absorption that helium has close now. He's carrying the squad and putting the squad successful presumption to win."

Doncic besides had 11 assists, marking his 4th 30-point, 10-assist show already this season. The remainder of the NBA has combined for 4 specified outings this season. Doncic broke Mark Aguirre's franchise grounds for the longest streak of 30-point games.

As Doncic noted, it's a stark opposition to his sluggish commencement past season, erstwhile helium admittedly reported to grooming campy retired of shape.

"I conscionable cognize from past twelvemonth I had to commencement better, due to the fact that the mode I started past twelvemonth wasn't acceptable," said Doncic, who is shooting 51.4% from the floor. "I tried to larn from that and conscionable bash amended than past year."

Doncic, a first-team All-NBA enactment the past 3 seasons, has often recovered himself connected abbreviated lists of players who person deed definite statistical milestones. With a grin, helium mentioned that it seems that Chamberlain is "always there."

"Amazing, but I'm not surprised," Dallas defender Spencer Dinwiddie said of Doncic's historically important scoring streak. "Luka's a savant successful each consciousness of the connection arsenic it applies to basketball. Nothing shocks me. Obviously, he's young and the champion is yet to come. I deliberation he's going to acceptable a batch of records for the Mavs and beryllium successful the speech with the greats."