DALLAS — Luka Doncic had 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to become the second NBA player to record five consecutive 30-point triple-doubles, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 114-108 on Thursday night.
Doncic matched Russell Westbrook, who had five straight 30-point triple-doubles in 2017 for Oklahoma City. The All-Star, who leads the league in scoring, also became the first player in history with four consecutive triple-doubles of 35 points.
However, this was the first of these games that Dallas won. The Mavericks ended a three-game skid.
“It’s great, especially when it comes to a win,” Doncic said.
Doncic shot 12 of 24 overall and 7 of 13 from 3-point range in 40 minutes.
“I’ve always said we can’t take this young man for granted,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “You see something as rare as a Picasso.”
Kyrie Irving added 23 points for Dallas. The Mavericks trailed 101-100 before a 10-4 run that included 3-pointers from Doncic, Dante Exum and Irving.
Exum started the run with a 3 that just broke the shot clock. Doncic’s turnover, step-back 3, also barely beat the buzzer after a wild scramble for the ball. After Terry Rozier hit from deep to bring Miami within 106-104, Irving made his 3 after a missed Dallas shot was hit by several players.
“(Doncic’s) 3 with no time on the shot clock — everyone knows he was going to get there,” Kidd said. “But it doesn’t happen to everyone.”
Doncic said he saw “a little bit” of the rim when he released the ball. “Once I let it go, I knew it was going to go in,” he said.
“Socic — I’ve seen that play at the buzzer a lot,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And Irving hit one too on a three-yard bounce and a cloud of dust, kind of tossed around, angled, and, sure enough, it ended up in his wide open hands. And that kind of gave them a little more separation.
Rozier had 27 points and 11 assists, his highest-scoring game since being acquired from Charlotte in late January. Duncan Robinson, making his sixth straight start in place of the injured Tyler Herro, scored 19 points, 14 in the first half, and Jimmy Butler finished with 14.
The Heat were 17 of 38 from 3-point range, hitting 10 in the first half, after averaging 12.4 per game. Rozier and Robinson were each 5 of 8 from behind the arc.
Miami came in with seven wins out of eight.
Butler extended his streak of games with at least one steal and 3-pointer to 15, the longest of his career and tying the franchise record set by Rafer Alston in 2004.
Miami reserve forward Kevin Love missed his fourth straight game with a heel injury.
The Heat announced that reserve guard Josh Richardson will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined beginning February 11.
FOLLOWING
Heat: Complete a back-to-back at Oklahoma City on Friday.
Mavericks: At Detroit on Saturday.
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