"I need a recovery beer" - NBA star amazes with wild record

Luka Doncic has left the basketball world stunned.

It didn’t take long for the young Slovenian to reach superstar status in the NBA after being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the third overall pick in 2018, immediately making his mark in the world’s top league.

But while he has developed into the Mavericks anchor and is often tasked with carrying the team, his latest achievement is one that no one would have predicted.

On Wednesday (NZ time), the 23-year-old dropped a once-in-a-lifetime stat line, with 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in his side’s comeback 126-121 win over the New York Knicks. Doncic scored or assisted on 85 of Dallas’ 126 points in the match.

His performance was the 60-20-10 game in NBA history, and his 60-point haul was a franchise record for the Mavericks, who were founded in 1980.

“I’m tired as hell,” Doncic told a sideline reporter after the game. “I need a recovery beer.”

What made the feat all the more impressive was Doncic guided his side to a very unlikely overtime win after they were down big late.

The Mavericks trailed by nine points with less than 40 seconds remaining in the game, and it looked like the book was closed on the result. However, three-pointers from forward Christian Wood and guard Spencer Dinwiddie, along with some Donici magic on both ends of the floor, saw the Mavericks erase that deficit to force the extra period.

There, it was all Doncic as he scored seven on his team’s 11 points in overtime to secure the win. According to ESPN Stats and Info, it was the first time in 13,885 matches over the last 20 seasons that a team had come back to win after trailing by nine points with less than 35 seconds remaining.