Luka Doncic scores 73 factors – What’s driving the NBA’s report particular person scoring nights, and is 100 factors inside attain?

On Monday night time, reigning MVP Joel Embiid dropped 70 factors on the San Antonio Spurs, a season excessive within the NBA … which lasted all of 4 nights earlier than Luka Doncic scored 73 to guide the Dallas Mavericks to a win in opposition to the Atlanta Hawks (coincidentally, the group that drafted Doncic earlier than buying and selling him to Dallas).

On the identical night time Embiid scored 70, Karl-Anthony Cities completed with 62 factors in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets — a feat that was matched on Friday night time, when Devin Booker did his finest to maintain tempo with Doncic, additionally scoring 62 in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.

It is the primary time within the 77-season historical past of the NBA that 4 completely different gamers have scored not less than 60 factors in a recreation in a five-night span. After there have been a grand complete of 4 70-point contests between 1964 and 2022, there have now been 4 previously 390 days.

So what’s driving this unimaginable scoring output? And simply how excessive can NBA gamers go? Is Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point recreation nonetheless untouchable? We requested our NBA consultants to interrupt it down.

1. What’s driving these huge scoring nights?

Chris Herring: It is an ideal mixture of historic effectivity and astronomical utilization fee — and astronomical use of the 3-point line — with video games being performed at a excessive tempo. Defenses are unfold thinner than ever attempting to protect 7-footers out past the 3-point line.

And it leaves them with little to no likelihood in one-on-one situations in opposition to gamers akin to Embiid and Doncic, who lead the league within the share of offensive possessions that finish with them controlling the ball. It is not misplaced on me that Doncic, who already handles the ball a league-high 8.5 minutes per recreation, tallied 73 on an evening the place co-star Kyrie Irving was out, and that Cities had 62 on an evening the place Anthony Edwards wasn’t himself due to an sickness. These further possibilities make a distinction when leaguewide taking pictures effectivity is the best it is ever been.

Tim MacMahon: There are a variety of causes, however No. 1 on the record is that the NBA has by no means seen this a lot talent. We have by no means seen anybody with Doncic’s mix of measurement, energy, savvy, handles, footwork and contact, permitting him to comfortably create his personal shot anyplace inside 30 toes of the ring. Karl-Anthony Cities has proclaimed himself the best taking pictures huge of all time, and whereas most would give the nod to Dirk Nowitzki, KAT could make a statistical case. Joel Embiid is a 7-foot-2, 280-pound middle who makes midrange jumpers seem to be layups. So does Devin Booker, who’s potent whether or not he is creating for himself or taking part in off the ball. And the trendy schemes give these stars house to show their big range of items.

Kevin Pelton: A mix of things. NBA offenses have by no means been extra environment friendly than they’re proper now, and the info displaying which photographs are extra beneficial has additionally made it doable for stars to keep up sky-high utilization charges with out sacrificing effectivity. Lastly, the calendar might play a task. Traditionally, there have been extra 60-point video games in January than some other month each total and per complete video games performed.

2. What, if something, can defenses do to cease these huge nights?

Herring: It appears too simplistic to say it this manner, however identical to I used to be confused by the Spurs not doubling Embiid earlier within the week, it was puzzling to me that Atlanta waited so extremely lengthy to throw a second physique in entrance of Doncic. (At the least San Antonio is a younger group.) Blitzing and doubling should not solely occur when you notice somebody’s on tempo to hit a scoring mark. Superstars must see a number of appears to be like over the course of the sport — together with doubles and backcourt pressures — or else they’re nearly sure to torch you repeatedly.

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MacMahon: Man, if I might determine this out, the Milwaukee Bucks would have given me $40 million or so to unravel their defensive issues. The straightforward reply is to ship a second defender at a famous person when he begins cooking. The Hawks tried that within the second half in opposition to Doncic, holding him to a mere 32 factors after halftime. Not solely did Atlanta hardly decelerate Doncic, however the doubles and Doncic’s passing created wide-open appears to be like for his teammates.

Pelton: I do suppose the Hawks may need been sensible to entice Luka off pick-and-rolls from the beginning of a recreation the Mavericks performed with out Kyrie Irving. On the Atlanta broadcast, colour analyst Dominique Wilkins — whose profession excessive was 57 factors — could not consider how little resistance Doncic was getting within the first half. Per Second Spectrum monitoring, the Hawks blitzed simply two of Luka’s first-half pick-and-rolls with a pair of defenders earlier than attempting it six occasions after halftime. By then, it was too late.

3. Which 60-plus scoring efficiency this week was most spectacular?

Herring: I am going to go together with Luka’s, on condition that he almost logged a triple-double on the highway, and did it on the heels of getting heavy criticism earlier within the week. Very like Embiid’s displaying on Monday, Luka’s displaying was spectacular as a result of, other than one nook strive within the fourth, you did not get the sense he was forcing something to achieve his numbers. He merely possessed the ball sufficient and shot it properly sufficient to get there comparatively naturally.

MacMahon: I higher go together with Doncic — for a wide range of causes, however principally as a result of I consider it. He scored probably the most factors on the fewest discipline objective makes an attempt (25-of-33), did it with out co-star Kyrie Irving in uniform and fell just a few assists shy of a triple-double. You even have to contemplate the circumstances: Dallas desperately wanted a win after shedding 5 of the earlier seven video games, and Doncic responded to 48 hours of criticism for his petulant efficiency in Wednesday’s loss to the Suns with the most effective recreation of his good profession.

Pelton: I might additionally choose Luka, whose 64.0 recreation rating surpassed Embiid’s 70-point recreation for the best for any NBA participant this season and was second solely to Michael Jordan’s 64.6 in March 1990 amongst all video games within the Stathead.com database since turnovers had been first tracked in 1977-78. Though these Hawks will not be in comparison with the 1995-96 Bulls, this was additionally a extra aggressive opponent on the highway than Embiid’s matchup at house in opposition to the Spurs.

4. Reality or fiction: Luka’s 73 factors will maintain because the season’s excessive mark?

Herring: Fiction. Truthfully, with so many individuals flirting with 70 this previous week, it makes me suppose that Kobe’s mark will probably fall quickly — if not this season, then in all probability within the subsequent yr or two. Guys are simply too environment friendly, and defenses are sometimes working at an excessive amount of of an obstacle to carry down particular person scorers.

MacMahon: Reality. I am going to play the chances and say 73 will maintain up, contemplating it has solely been surpassed 3 times within the historical past of the league. Then once more, I’d have mentioned the identical factor about Embiid’s 70. Hey, the Mavs will face the Hawks once more April 4 in Dallas.

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Pelton: Fiction. There does appear to be one thing contagious about these big scoring outputs when it comes to convincing different gamers they will match or surpass the earlier complete. The bar has been set and the remainder of the league now has two-plus months to surpass it.

5. What’s going to it take for somebody to attain 82 (or, dare we are saying, 101)?

Herring: A few these video games this week completed with fairly tight last scores. Time beyond regulation would definitely be one strategy to do it. From what we noticed Friday, a membership staying in the identical defensive alignment regardless of how sizzling a participant will get is perhaps one other strategy to all however assure it.

MacMahon: A famous person with a sizzling hand who will get a pleasant whistle in opposition to one of many worst defenses of all time. There are a handful of superstars who’re succesful and a handful of groups with defenses which can be that horrible.

Pelton: A protection that decides letting the opposing famous person go one-on-one all the recreation is their finest technique, irrespective of the potential for being on the unsuitable aspect of a historic scoring effort. The truth that each 62-point video games this week resulted in losses offers some proof of idea, though Cities, and to a lesser extent Booker, going chilly was a significant factor of their groups shedding leads.

Bonus! Which participant will likely be subsequent to achieve 70?

Herring: I really might see it being Luka, once more. The truth that he handles the ball as a lot as he does, can get sizzling from deep and performs alongside a star teammate, Kyrie Irving, who misses motion occasionally, makes him the most effective candidates.

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MacMahon: Is it Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s flip? The opposite three gamers averaging not less than 30 factors per recreation — Embiid, Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo — have all scored not less than 64 in a recreation this season. Gilgeous-Alexander’s career-high is solely 44 factors, so perhaps he is due for an explosion. He isn’t a prolific 3-point shooter, which limits his historic-high-volume scoring potential, however he is as harmful as anybody off the dribble — and he will get to the free throw line loads, a staple of those kinds of nights.

Pelton: Antetokounmpo, whose 64-point recreation in opposition to the Indiana Pacers in December has nearly been forgotten within the wake of this week.