Luka Doncic will lead the Mavericks against the Blazers following his record triple-double.

In his final game, Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 50-point victory, surpassing Larry Bird on the all-time triple-doubles record, and may have had his best-ever first-half performance.

That’s quite the trio of achievements to duplicate on Friday night when Doncic and the Mavericks play the Portland Trail Blazers.

At the half of Wednesday’s 147-97 home demolition of the Utah Jazz, Doncic led the team with 29 points and a triple-double. For his 60th career triple-double, he finished with 40 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds—one more than the great Hall of Famer Bird had during his illustrious career.

For Doncic, 24, flying past Bird was an unbelievable experience.

“Very impressive,” Doncic exclaimed to the press. “To be honest, I have no idea what to say. Since everyone is aware of Larry Bird, this is truly unique.

Doncic scored 40 points for the fourth time this season; he had scored 20 in his previous three games.

Doncic missed the last quarter of the one-sided game, capping an incredible performance that gave teammate Tim Hardaway fantasies of even more absurd stats.

“Luka set the tone with that, knocking down shot after shot after shot … after shot after shot after shot,” added Hardaway. “I thought he was going to go 50-20-20.”

On a night when the Mavericks set a season high for points, Doncic’s headband caught the attention of Dallas coach Jason Kidd.

Regarding Doncic, Kidd remarked, “I think he’s had a lot of fun this season.” “He was competing, having a good time, and the energy level was really high.” Also, I believe the headband is effective.”

In addition to missing the last two minutes of a game that matched for the third-biggest in Mavericks history, Kyrie Irving scored 26 points. The biggest ones were a 51-point demolition (124-73) of the Los Angeles Clippers on December 27, 2020, and a franchise-record 53-point victory (123-70) over the Philadelphia 76ers on November 13, 2014.

After winning three of their previous four games, the Trail Blazers have lost their last two.

On Wednesday, Portland lost to the Golden State Warriors 110-106. The Trail Blazers squandered an 11-point advantage.

After hurting his right thumb in the season opener versus the Los Angeles Clippers, Anfernee Simons made his playing debut. He was just 10 of 27 from the field overall, but he did score 28 points and make six 3-pointers.

“We’re merely attempting to regain our rhythm,” Simons remarked afterwards. “I anticipate that there will be a brief period of adjustment upon my return. It was evident that we were not as united in our goals during the fourth quarter. We’ll simply work that out over the course of the next few games.”

In 42 minutes, Shaedon Sharpe scored 26 points, pulled down six rebounds, disheveled five assists, drained four 3-pointers, and committed only one turnover.

Shaedon is growing quickly, according to Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. “He’s beginning to notice the game and the world around him. Most evenings, he’s getting better at reading. His defense has improved.”

After 13 scoreless minutes, guard Malcolm Brogdon (knee) left the game, dealing a setback to Portland. Due to right knee pain, he was labeled as questionable for Friday’s game.

In addition, center DeAndre Ayton (knee) and forward Jerami Grant (concussion) were out for the Trail Blazers. Grant is out of the game on Friday, while Ayton is considered uncertain.

Grant Williams, a forward, will miss Dallas’ next game due to a knee injury.

After the Mavericks won the first six meetings, Portland has won the last two.— Reuters/Field Level Media

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