NBA highlights on Jan. 26: 'Luka Magic' steals show with career-high 73 points

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 148-143 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, ending their three-game losing streak.

This game witnessed a career highlight for Luka Doncic, who shot 25-for-33 from the field to score a career-high 73 points in addition to 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Mavericks. It was not only the most points claimed by any of the active players in one game but also matched the fourth-highest scoring performance by Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history, behind only the 100 and 78 points by Chamberlain and the 81 points by Kobe Bryant.

The Mavericks missed their second-in-command Kyrie Irving in Friday's game and, thus, relied even more on Doncic to shoulder more offensive duties. He made eight of his 11 field goals (FGs) to get 18 points in the first quarter. When he went to the bench to take a break at 1:57, his side led 27-24. However, when he came back in the second period, the Mavericks already trailed by four points (31-27).

That's why Doncic came back with even more fierce firepower. He knocked down eight shots out of 10 attempts to get 23 points in the second quarter and then added another 16 points in the third quarter for his side to begin the final period with a six-point lead (108-102).

When a player went 20-for-26 in FGs to score 57 points in the first three quarters, the opponents' defenders must have known that something big was coming. The Hawks knew it too and had no intention to become the background of a new "Luka Magic" poster. Since none of their defenders could slow Doncic down by himself and double-teaming didn't force him to pass the ball to his teammate, the Hawks had Dejounte Murray stay next to Doncic to deny him the ball in nearly every possession. Even if Doncic came to the baseline to get the ball, double-teaming would happen quickly before he went to the front court.

As a result, Doncic only took seven shots in the fourth quarter, but he made five of them to get 16 points. Meanwhile, the rest of the Mavericks drained five triples out of seven attempts and went to the free throw line 10 times. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 10 points for the team in this period.

Despite the loss, the Hawks did everything they could, mostly on the offensive end, to make Doncic dominate the game like this to win. Six of their players reached double-digit points, led by the 30 points of Trae Young, who also delivered 11 assists. He scored 20 of those points in the second half. Murray got 11 points in the fourth quarter while gluing himself to Doncic.

Other games on Friday (away teams come first):

Phoenix Suns 131-133 Indiana Pacers

Devin Booker's crazy night, scoring 62 points at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, didn't lead to a victory for the Suns over the Pacers. He got 29 points in the first quarter alone but missed all three attempts from downtown in the final period. His side trailed by two points when there were 3.4 seconds left in the game. Booker fell when he received the throw-in at the left wing. He managed to stand up, but his shot was blocked by Aaron Nesmith.

The Pacers trailed by as many as 17 points (54-37) in the game. They shot as poorly as 8-for-26 behind the arc but came back to win in the end thanks to their constant charging of the paint. The team grabbed as many as 21 offensive rebounds, 14 of which came from the bench squad, and got 84 points in the paint.

Cleveland Cavaliers 112-100 Milwaukee Bucks

The Cavaliers got revenge on the Bucks for Monday's loss at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Friday, and rose to the top four in the Eastern Conference with this win. Donovan Mitchell drained six triples to score a game-high 32 points for the Cavaliers. Jarret Allen contributed a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass.

Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard got 22 points for the Bucks in Friday's game. Antetokounmpo missed only four of his 13 shots. He also had 11 rebounds and nine assists, but with six turnovers. It took Lillard 24 FG attempts to get 22 points. He missed 17 of those shots, including eight outside the 3-point line.

Houston Rockets 138-104 Charlotte Hornets

Los Angeles Clippers 127-107 Toronto Raptors

Orlando Magic 106-107 Memphis Grizzlies

Oklahoma City Thunder 107-83 New Orleans Pelicans

Portland Trail Blazers 100-116 San Antonio Spurs