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Luka Doncic records game score of 64, 2nd highest behind Michael Jordan

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated27 Jan 2024

Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic records game score of 64, 2nd highest behind Michael Jordan

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic posted a career-high game score of 64, the second highest behind NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in 1990, in Friday night’s 148-143 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Jordan’s 64.6 game score still leads all NBA players. The Chicago Bulls legend recorded the highest game score in league history in a 117-113 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28, 1990.

Kobe Bryant (63.5) is now third on the all-time game score list, followed by Joel Embiid (62.5), Donovan Mitchell (60.8), Karl Malone (60.2), Damian Lillard (57.6), and other greats.


Moreover, game score is similar to player efficiency rating (PER). However, calculating it is easier. The game score in basketball considers only the individual performance of a specific player during the game.

Numerous NBA metrics are used to calculate the game score — such as personal fouls, points, assists, field goals, steals, blocks, rebounds, free throws, free throw attempts, turnovers, etc. Each statistic has a weightage factor.

On March 28, 1990, Jordan notched a career-best 69 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, four steals, one block, two turnovers, and five fouls in 50 minutes of action. He finished 23-of-37 (62.2%) shooting from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) beyond the arc, and 21-of-23 (91.3%) at the foul line.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic scores a career-high 73 points against Atlanta Hawks

In Dallas’ win against the Hawks, Doncic amassed a career-high 73 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, four turnovers, and one foul in 45 minutes played. He shot 25-of-33 (75.8%) from the floor, 8-of-13 (61.5%) from 3-point range, and 15-of-16 (93.8%) at the line.

Doncic tied Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-highest scoring game in NBA history.

In the 1961-62 season, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks (March 2, 1962) and 78 points versus the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 8, 1961). Bryant ranks third with his 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors (Jan. 22, 2006).

“Those names are special,” Doncic said. “It’s unbelievable.”


Furthermore, Doncic finished with 41 points at halftime, which broke Dirk Nowitzki’s franchise record for points in a half. He reached 57 by the end of the third quarter.

The six-year veteran joined Cleveland’s Mitchell as the only players in the Basketball-Reference database (since 1996-97) to record a 41-5-4 stat line or better in a single half.

Additionally, Doncic became the fifth NBA player with at least 70 points and 10 rebounds in a game, joining Chamberlain (six times), Elgin Baylor, David Robinson, and Embiid, who just accomplished this feat on Monday.

NBA betting sites show Doncic with fourth-best odds to win MVP this season. Of course, sportsbooks are showing better odds for Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.