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By the numbers: Luka Doncic (73) and Devin Booker (62) deliver NBA’s latest scoring masterpieces

Written by on January 27, 2024

By the numbers: Luka Doncic (73) and Devin Booker (62) deliver NBA’s latest scoring masterpieces

By the numbers: Luka Doncic (73) and Devin Booker (62) deliver NBA's latest scoring masterpieces

This comes less than a week after Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns had their own moment in history

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Last Monday, Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns became the third NBA duo in history to record a 70- and 60-point game in the same night. Less than a week later, we have our fourth with Luka Doncic putting up 73 in a win over the Hawks and Devin Booker 62 in a loss to the Pacers. 

  • Doncic’s final line: 73 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 25-of-33 shooting, 8 of 13 from 3, 15 of 16 from the free-throw line
  • Booker’s final line: 62 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 22-of-37 shooting, 6 of 12 from 3, 12 of 13 from the free-throw line

Here’s a look at how the night breaks down by the numbers:

1

  • Doncic is the first Mavericks player to score 70 points
  • Doncic is the the first European player in NBA history to score 70 points
  • Doncic is the first player in history to score 70 points on at least 75% shooting

2

  • Doncic and Booker have now each recorded two games with at least 60 points: Booker had 70 in 2017, and Doncic had 60 in 2022. 
  • Two players in Suns history have scored at least 60 points in a game: Booker and Tom Chambers
  • Doncic’s 64.0 game score, which is a rough measure of a player’s single-game productivity taking the full box score into account, is the second-highest recorded mark in the basketball-reference database, which began recording game score in 1982. 

3

  • Booker is now the third player in history to lose multiple 60-point games (Phoenix lost to Boston when Booker scored 70 in 2017). Wilt Chamberlain lost a record 11 games in which he scored at least 60, and Michael Jordan saw his 60 got for naught two times. 
  • With 29 points in the first quarter on Friday, Booker is the third player in history to record at least 24 first-quarter points three different times in his career, joining Stephen Curry (4) and LeBron James (3). 

4

  • Doncic is the fourth player in history to score at least 73 points. He joins Wilt Chamberlain (100, 78, 73, 73), Kobe Bryant (81) and David Thompson (73). 
  • Doncic and Booker both own four of the top-five single-game scoring marks in their respective franchise histories. Suns: Booker (70), Booker (62), Tom Chambers (60), Booker (59), Booker (58); Mavericks: Doncic (73), Doncic (60), Doncic (53), Dirk Nowitzki (53), Doncic (51).
  • Booker now owns the scoring record in four different NBA arenas: Boston (70), Indiana (62), Utah (59) and  Phoenix (58).

5

  • Number of times in history that two players have scored at least 60 points on the same night. Doncic and Booker join this list:

6

  • Number of players with a 70- and 60-point game on their resume: Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Damian Lillard, and now Booker and Doncic. 
  • Number of players who have scored at least 40 points in a first half: Karl-Anthony Towns (44), Kobe Bryant (42), Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic, (41), and Klay Thompson (40). 

7

  • Luka’s seven assists are the second-most recorded in a 70-point game, trailing the 11 dimes that Donovan Mitchell dropped when he scored 71 against the Bulls last season. 
  • Despite Booker’s 62, Phoenix had its seven-game win streak snapped. 

8

  • Doncic’s eight missed shots on Friday (25 for 33) are the fewest ever in a 70-point game. 

9

  • Number of players who have recorded multiple 60-point games in their career: Chamberlain (32), Kobe Bryant (6), Damian Lillard (5), Michael Jordan (4), James Harden (4), Elgin Baylor (3), Karl-Anthony Towns (2), and now Booker (2) and Doncic (2). 

10 

  • Number of players to reach 70 points in an NBA game: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, David Robinson, David Thompson, Kobe Bryant, Devin BookerDonovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, and now Doncic. 
  • Number of players to score at least 60 points and lose: Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Devin Booker, George Gervin, Bernard King, David Thompson, Kemba WalkerBradley Beal, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns. 

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The post By the numbers: Luka Doncic (73) and Devin Booker (62) deliver NBA’s latest scoring masterpieces first appeared on CBS Sports.


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