DALLAS — Luka Doncic scored 35 points, his eighth straight game of at least 30 earlier in the season as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Toronto Raptors 111-110 on Friday night.
The only other NBA player to score 30 or more points in the first eight games of a season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did so in the first eight of the 1959-60 season and the first 23 of the 1962-63 season.
Doncic played 37 minutes and surpassed the 30-point mark by 18.7 seconds in the third quarter on a turnaround fadeaway jumper. It was an even night for the 23-year-old superstar: 10-15 from the floor, 3-6 from downtown, 12-14 at the free throw line, eight rebounds and six assists.
That included an assist on a spin move by a doubles team, a basket after a series of dribbles between his legs, a hook shot to cap the 16-2 run early in the second half and the floater late in the third third.
“He gave it his all tonight,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “Did he go through his legs like eight times? When he shot that little floater I just sort of giggled because only he can do it.
“He surprises a lot of people. I wonder if he surprises himself sometimes.”
He does?
“Yes, sometimes,” Doncic said with a smile. “The best game was my hook shot. These games are fun. Later you see them on TV. Everyone’s talking about her.”
Doncic leads the NBA with an average of 36.0 points per game and 8.6 assists in 36.6 minutes.
The Raptors cut a 19-point deficit to 108-105 in the third quarter with 35.5 seconds left. Doncic sank the first of two free throws with 15.9 seconds to a four-point lead. OG Anunoby drove for a dunk with 11 seconds left. Spencer Dinwiddie hit two free throws with 3 seconds left to make the score 111-107. Anunoby pressed a 3 pointer on the buzzer.
Dinwiddie had 21 points and seven assists for the Mavericks, who have won three straight games after tying their first six.
Anunoby scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam 18 and Chris Boucher 17 off the bench for the Raptors. Siakam left the game in the third quarter with a likely groin injury, coach Nick Nurse said.
DINWIDDIE CALLS OFFICIAL
Dinwiddie, who called for a technical foul in the last minute of the second period, said he was told by a team-mate that the official, Tony Brothers, used several profanities to describe him.
“NBA, I’d like my money back,” Dinwiddie said. “If there is someone who feels that way about me … they can speak to me personally, face to face.”
“I need to speak to Spencer,” Kidd said. “If you look at Tony, what he’s done refereeing in this league, he’s very popular and also one of the best we have. This is a sensitive topic.”
TIP INS
Raptors: They made 10 steals, which nearly matched their league-leading 10.8 per game, but they only outperformed the Mavericks by 27-26 points after turnovers. … G Fred VanVleet, fourth in the NBA in steals, missed his third straight game with a lower back stiffness. Nurse said he thought VanVleet would play after completing a full practice session on Thursday. “I expect he’ll be back fairly soon,” Nurse said.
Mavericks: C Dwight Powell, a Toronto native, started for the second time this season, replacing JaVale McGee on the starting lineup. Powell had nine points and two rebounds in 26 minutes.
NEXT
Raptors: Start a home game Sunday with Chicago at home.
Mavericks: host Brooklyn on Monday.
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