The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Charlotte Hornets by a final score of 130-104 on Tuesday night. Dallas remained scorching hot with the playoffs right around the corner in the victory, and even saw some franchise records broken in the game.
Luka Doncic surpassed Mark Aguirre's franchise record for most points scored during a single-season, per Mavs PR on X (formerly Twitter). Aguirre previously held the Mavs record with 2,330 points scored during the 1983-84 season.
Doncic, who finished the game with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, recorded the 77th triple-double of his career, tying James Harden for eighth on the all-time triple-double list.
It was not just Doncic who was setting and tying records on Tuesday, though. Center Daniel Gafford scored 26 points on 12-12 shooting from the field. He surpassed Brandan Wright's Mavs record (Wright went 10-10 in a 2014 game against the Los Angeles Lakers) for the most field goals in a single game without a miss.
It was quite the game for the Mavericks. Doncic strengthened his MVP case and Dallas booked their ticket to the playoffs. Dallas needed a Phoenix Suns or New Orleans Pelicans loss to officially clinch a playoff spot after they defeated the Hornets. Although the Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-100, the Suns lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 105-92.
Mavericks have no shortage of momentum at perfect time
The Mavs hold a 49-30 record and are in fifth place in the Western Conference. Again, they earned a top-six playoff spot and will officially not be in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Dallas still trails the Clippers by two games with three contests left to go so the Mavs' odds of moving up to the No. 4 seed are fairly slim. Still, it technically is not impossible.
Regardless, the Mavs wanted to clinch a top-six seed and that is exactly what they have done. Dallas is now 15-2 across their past 17 games. They are one of the hottest teams in the league and their momentum is surfacing at the perfect time.
Luka Doncic and Daniel Gafford addressed their big performances after the win.
“A lot,” Doncic responded when asked what breaking Aguirre's record means to him. “I mean, this is the franchise that drafted me. They gave me the keys… But I'm just glad I'm here in Dallas.”
“Honestly, you know, just being active in my opinion,” Gafford said of what was working for him on Tuesday night. “You know, set screens, getting out quick. It was a team where they were trying to play a lot of one through five. They were trying to blitz, of course, when it came to Luka and Kyrie. So I was just in the right spot at the right time.”
Mavs' remaining schedule
The Mavs may have clinched a playoff spot, but they want to earn the highest possible seed. In other words, there is still work to do.
Dallas will play the second of a back-to-back on Wednesday in Miami against the Heat. The Mavs will then travel home for their final 2023-24 regular season game at the American Airlines Center on Friday in a clash with the Detroit Pistons. On Sunday, the Mavericks will battle the Oklahoma City Thunder in a road game to end the 2023-24 regular season.
Again, Dallas trails the Clippers by two games in the standings. Meanwhile, the Pelicans, who are sixth in the West, trail the Mavs by two games. So there still is room for movement in the standings during this final week of the regular season.
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