Chris Russo rejects Luka Doncic’s 60-point triple-double as the best NBA regular-season display ever

ESPN’s Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo has dismissed any notion that Luka Doncic’s 60-point, triple-double against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night was the best individual performance ever in an NBA regular-season game, listing displays from all -time greats Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain above it.

Speaking on First Take on Wednesday morning, the Radio Hall of Fame inductee said: ‘I know you guys want me to go out there and find some other games and I will try to find a couple for you but listen he only took 31 shots. He only made two threes. He made a great basket at the end off the rebound.’

‘But listen, it’s not the 100 point game that Wilt [Chamberlain] had in ’62 when he scored 100 against the Knicks. 28-for-32 at the line. I think it was 63 that Elgin [Baylor] had against the Knicks in that same year. [Jerry] West had 63 one year against the Knicks.’

Doncic, 23, had the first 60-20-10 triple-double in NBA history against the New York Knicks

No one in the history of the Dallas Mavericks has scored more than 60 points in a game before, as Doncic set a franchise record in a 126-121 overtime win. Set up by his improbable tying jumper in the final second of regulation off his intentionally missed free throw, the 23-year-old had the first 60-20-10 triple-double in NBA history.

‘I mean if you’re gonna bring up the triple double then these are official scores,’ Russo further said, adding that ‘let’s not forget’ about Kobe Bryant’s epic 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. 

‘This triple double’s overrated anyway so I take [them] with a grain of salt but if you want to go there…Oscar [Robertson] had 56-and-12 in a December game against the Lakers in which they won.

Russo cited Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game against the Knicks in ’61 as the best of all time

Russo added ‘let’s not forget’ Kobe Bryant’s 81-point show against the Toronto Raptors in 2006

‘How about [Larry] Bird, my buddy? He had 60 against the Hawks. The game was in New Orleans on a neutral site game. He had 32 points in 14 minutes. And he was incredible. And Bird did it with McHale, Parish, DJ.

‘There’s nobody else on Dallas who could score besides Doncic but listen, I’m not gonna go crazy. I would like to go crazy. But how about the Knicks? Here’s a stat. Do you know that in the last 30,887 NBA games, and this is from Colin Russo, my little 20-year-old. Did you know there’s never ever been a team to blow a nine point lead with 35 seconds or less left in a game?’.

Despite leaving Russo unimpressed, Doncic broke Dirk Nowitzki’s franchise record of 53 points from 2004 two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of the retired German star outside the arena. 

Doncic broke the Mavericks franchise record of 53 points set by Dirk Nowitzki (pictured) in ’04

Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history (sixth overall). The three-time All-Star from Slovenia could hold that title some day. 

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he’ll never see another night like it, and teammate Christian Wood, whose 3-pointer sparked the rally from nine points down in the final 30 seconds of regulation, said he was sending a ‘GOAT’ to Doncic’s farm in his native homeland.

‘Everybody is still in shock,’ coach Jason Kidd said postgame. ‘ The history of the game is written by the players and it was written again tonight for a player, Luka, doing something that’s never been done before.’