On Tuesday, the Mavericks star made history against the Knicks, becoming the first NBA player to score a triple-double with at least 60 points and 20 rebounds (21 in this case).

Two days after this feat, the Slovenian is almost back to normal – concerning him – but still!

Against the Rockets, he scored 35 points, took 12 rebounds and delivered 13 assists, all in the first three quarters, a performance that has only been achieved seven times in 25 years … including five times by Doncic himself.

Faced with this cold monster, the best record of stats for Houston was returned by the back Jalen Green (23 pts, 4 rebounds, 4 assists).

Carried by their Slovenian star, the Mavericks go back to 5th place in the Western Conference, with 20 wins and 16 losses.

In the East, the Celtics, solid leaders, won their 26th success in 36 games, dominating the LA Clippers (116-110).

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics recovers a ground ball during an NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 29, 2022 in Boston © Winslow Townson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shared the effort, scoring 29 points each, to line up a fourth victory in a row and complete a series of seven home games on the green (W4 D3).

Dashing during this first part of the season, the Clippers, with a Kahwi Leonard at 26 points, were however threatening until the end: while the Californian franchise was only three points behind at 33 seconds from the buzzer, Derrick White made a superb counter on a "layup" of Paul George, destroying the hopes of Los Angeles.

"Now we have four tough away games and we'll have to find ways to get some wins," White said after the game.

The Raptors sink

The Celtics will start 2023 with a shock on the floor of the Denver Nuggets, who share the lead in the Western Conference with New Orleans (22 v., 12 d.).

Kawhi Leonard (#2), LA Clippers, under the backboard during an NBA game against the Celtics, December 29, 2022 in Boston © Winslow Townson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Just behind this duo, the Memphis Grizzlies reacted after two defeats by winning in Toronto (119-106).

Ja Morant responded by scoring 19 points and above all by beating his personal record of assists -17 in total.

Nothing is going well for the Raptors, however, who have lined up an eighth straight defeat on their floor.

Eight is also the number of losses in the last 10 meetings, which tumbles the Canadian franchise to 11th place (15-20).

The dynamics of December are not good either for the New York Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in a row, against the Spurs (122-115), and for the Cleveland Cavaliers, beaten 135-126 by the Pacers of Tyrese Haliburton (29 pts).

The "Cavs" remain 4th in the Eastern Conference (22-14) but will have to bounce back very quickly, during a double confrontation against the Chicago Bulls.

On the Indiana side, head coach Rick Carlisle was ruled out in the third quarter after protesting vehemently over a deal he didn't whistle from Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell.

Ja Morant (#12), Memphis Grizzlies, during an NBA game against the Golden State Warriors, December 25, 2022 in San Francisco © Thearon W. Henderson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives

"I received many friendly messages during the fourth quarter from people who agreed with my judgement, but I won't say more about it," Carlisle said.

© 2022 AFP