Mavericks’ Luke Doncic enters rarified air, scores 30-plus for seventh straight game

Just when NBA fans thought Luka Doncic could not possibly take another step toward greatness, the three-time All-Star has started off the 2022-2023 NBA season smoking hot. 

Doncic scored 33 points Wednesday night in a 103-100 win over the Utah Jazz, moving the Mavericks to 4-3 on the season and scoring 30 or more points for the seventh straight game. 

The 30-plus points season start is historic as Doncic became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63 to score 30 points or more in the first seven games of an NBA season. 

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Doncic is just the third player in NBA history to accomplish the feat. 

“I don’t know. I’m trying to win games,” Doncic said. “The player that scores more, you’re going to win the game. I think today was one of the best games that I’ve played. Not forcing a lot. Sharing the ball.

“I always hear Wilt Chamberlain, so he’s always there. It’s great. I just wished to play in the NBA. This is really a dream for me. Couldn’t be happier just to play basketball, to do my job, and that’s it.”

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Doncic, who last year led the Mavericks to a Western Conference Finals appearance for the first time since 2011, is leading the NBA in points per game (36.1) and is fifth in assists (9.0 per game). 

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“That’s rare air, and we get to see that on a nightly basis,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said, according to ESPN. “That’s pretty cool. A 23-year-old kid that is playing on this level is really, really special to see. He can do it in so many ways, when you talk about posting up or getting to the basket, shooting the 3 or shooting that little step back.

“It’s really cool to watch, and it just shows the focus that he has right now. He’s carrying the team and putting the team in position to win.”

Doncic’s 33-point performance Wednesday night moved him past Michael Jordan’s 30+ point streak to start the 1986-87 season, when Jordan scored 30 points or more in six straight games.