Doncic Named Player of the Week
DALLAS – The NBA announced today that Mavericks guard Luka Dončić was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Feb. 7 through Sunday, Feb. 13, marking the fifth time in his career he has received the honor (Nov. 18-24, 2019; Jan. 4-10, 2021; March 29-April 4, 2021; April 19-25, 2021). Dirk Nowitzki (16 times) is the only Maverick to win the award more times.
Dončić (6-7, 230) led the Mavericks to a 2-1 week with averages of 43.0 points (.532 FG, .500 3FG), 10.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 37.3 minutes. He scored 129 total points during the week, the most over a three-game span in franchise history.
The 22-year-old, who is set to make his third consecutive All-Star appearance in Cleveland this coming weekend, began the week by posting a game-high 33 points (9-18 FG, 5-9 3FG) to go along with a team-high-tying seven rebounds, a game-high 11 assists, a game-high two blocks and a game-high plus-35 rating in 32:52 in Dallas’ 116-86 win over Detroit on Feb. 8. It marked Dončić’s 32nd career 30-point, 10-assist outing, tying Oscar Robertson for the most such games in NBA history before turning 23.
The following game, the Slovenian poured in a career-high (game-high) 51 points (17-26 FG, 7-14 3FG), including 28 in the first quarter, to go along with a game-high-tying nine rebounds and a team-high six assists in 39:48 in the Mavericks’ 112-105 victory over the L.A. Clippers on Feb. 10. It tied the franchise record for the most points in a regulation-length game (Nowitzki, 51, vs. GSW 3/23/06). It was also the fewest minutes needed to record a 50-point game in Mavericks history. Dončić went 7-of-10 from deep in the opening quarter, setting a new team record for the most 3-pointers made in a single period.
Dončić capped the week by registering a game-high 45 points (15-33 FG, 6-13 3FG), including 23 in the fourth quarter, to go along with a season-high (game-high) 15 rebounds and a game-high-tying eight assists in 39:27 versus the Clippers on Feb. 12. He became the 10th player in NBA history to produce a 45-15-8 effort, along with Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alvan Adams, Hakeem Olajuwon, Vince Carter, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Nikola Jokić. He also joined Westbrook and Harden as the only players to accomplish the feat in under 40 minutes.
The fourth-year guard racked up 96 points in the Mavericks’ two games against the Clippers on Feb. 10 and 12. He became the first player since Chamberlain (47 points/53 points at Seattle) in December 1967 to record 96-plus points over a two-game span with both games coming against the same opponent. Dončić also broke his own franchise record (90 points, Feb. 12-14, 2021) for the most points over a two-game stretch.
Dončić is averaging team highs of 27.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 35.3 minutes in 42 games (all starts) this season. He ranks in the top 20 in the league in scoring (6th), rebounding (18th) and assists (5th). Despite missing 15 games this season, he stills ranks second in the league in 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist outings (31). Dončić has scored 30-plus points seven times in his last eight games and is averaging 35.5 points (.510 FG, .434 3FG), 9.8 rebounds and 10.5 assists in that stretch (since Jan. 29).
Dončić has led Dallas to a 33-24 (.579) record in 2021-22 and the team currently sits in fifth place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks have gone 17-6 (.739) since Dec. 31.
