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NBA highlights on Jan. 17: Unhappy Doncic at another record night
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Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball in the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball in the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Luka Doncic had another record night on Sunday after dropping 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. However, his efforts did not save the Dallas Mavericks from losing to the Chicago Bulls 117-101.

This was Doncic' 29th triple-double, who has now surpassed Michael Jordan and matches Grant Hill to currently rank 15th on all-time triple-double list. The third-year playmaker claimed 35+ points, 15+ rebounds and 15+ assists at 21 years, 324 days old, making him the youngest to do so in NBA history, according to statmuse.

Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball in the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball in the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2021. /CFP

This was also Doncic's 15th 30+ point triple-double, more than anyone has achieved before turning 22 years old and only one time fewer than their combined number. Doncic scored 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the first half, becoming the fourth player to get numbers like these in half a game in the past 20 years. The other three are James Harden (three times), Giannis Antetokounmpo (once) and Allen Iverson (once).

Nonetheless, the Mavericks still suffered their second straight loss at home. The Bulls watched six of their players reach double-digit points, led by Lauri Markkanen who had 29 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly, The Bulls' bench squad put down 61 points thanks to the incredible performance of Garrett Temple, Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter Jr. By contrast, the Mavericks' bench unit only contributed 22 points.

By the way, the Bulls' Zach Lavine saw his 30+point-streak come to an end on Sunday, but his team finally pocketed a win after four consecutive losses.

Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):

R.J. Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball in the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, January 17, 2021. /CFP

R.J. Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball in the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, January 17, 2021. /CFP

New York Knicks 105-75 Boston Celtics

The return of Kemba Walker should have been great news for the Celtics if the team had not suffered such a humiliating loss at home. Losing by 30 was the biggest home loss since March 2007. The whole team missed 39 attempts from the 3-point line, the most in franchise history. Moreover, the Celtics' 29.8-percent field goal rate on Sunday was also the worst in 17 years. Scoring only 75 points was the lowest score under coach Brad Stevens as well.

Walker was 3-13 to get nine points, three rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes. He was out in the third quarter after clashing with Nerlens Noel.

The Knicks shot better than the Celtics for sure, but definitely on fire. One of the major reasons behind their big win was the team's dominance under the hoop. Not only did they scored 48 points the in paint, the Knicks also turned 10 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau received quite a present for his 63rd birthday.

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets posts up against Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz in the game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets posts up against Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz in the game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Utah Jazz 109-105 Denver Nuggets

If Rudy Gobert wants to prove he's worth the five-year, $205-million contract he signed with the Utah Jazz during the offseason, he must work harder than he did at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Sunday.

The two-time Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) had 15 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's game against the Nuggets. Perhaps you could not criticize him too much for watching Nikola Jokic claim 35 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists but allowing 23 offensive rebounds was not even close to the performance of an elite big man defender.

Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks in the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dunks in the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Of course, the Jazz won the game in the end. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic held the team through the first two quarters until Donovan Mitchell pulled himself together to save the world. Having gone 1-10 in the first half, Mitchell scored 16 points in Q3 and Q4, leading the Jazz to their fifth win in a row and No. 3 in the Western Conference.

Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks in the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks in the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, January 17, 2021. /CFP

New Orleans Pelicans 128-123 Sacramento Kings

Zion Williamson put an end to the five-straight-loss-streak of the Pelicans on Sunday with 31 points and six rebounds. Having missed his first shot at 9:47, Williamson turned on his crash mode in the following games, going 13-13 in field goals and 5-5 in free throws.

Getting 31 points at 86.7-percent field goal rate is the new record for a 30-point performance in Pelicans franchise history. Furthermore, Williamson is the youngest player in the past 35 seasons to get 30+ points at an 85+ percent field goal rate and 100-percent free throw rate.

De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives toward the rim in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, January 17, 2021. /CFP

De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives toward the rim in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, January 17, 2021. /CFP

The Kings' 23-year-old guard De'Aaron Fox made some highlights as well. He scored career high 43 points and 13 assists in Sunday's game, becoming the first one to get at least 40+10 since Tiny Archibald in franchise history.

Nonetheless, that record was overshadowed by the team's disappointing performance. Not only did the Kings suffer the eighth loss in the past 10 games, they also allowed over 120 points in eight straight games already, matching the second-worst record in over the past 35 seasons.

Paul George (R) of the Los Angeles Clippers drives toward the rim in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Paul George (R) of the Los Angeles Clippers drives toward the rim in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, January 17, 2021. /CFP

Indiana Pacers 96-129 Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers achieved their second 30+ point win in a row at home. When they buried 19 triples at a 3-point rate of 48.72 percent and had seven players scored double-digit points, it's unlikely for any team to beat the Clippers.

The Pacers deserved some respect as well. Despite the final result, the team managed to narrow their trail down to single digit multiple times in the game. More importantly, they did it without Victor Oladipo, T.J. Warren, Jeremy Lamb or Myles Turner.

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