DETROIT – Dallas Mavericks superstar point guard Luka Dončić continues to separate himself from the gazillion other players
who have put on an NBA uniform.
In Thursday’s 114-108 victory over the Miami Heat, Dončić scored 35 points, collected 11 rebounds and handed out 11 assists in becoming the first player in NBA history to register four consecutive 35-point triple-doubles. In fact, this was the fifth straight 30-point triple-double for Dončić as he joined an exclusive club in that he and Russell Westbrook are the only players in league history to roll out five consecutive 30-point triple-doubles.
It was the 71st triple-double of Dončić’s six-year career. He also has scored 30 or more points in the past eight games, which is the longest active streak in the NBA.
On trying to contain Dončić, Heat forward Duncan Robinson said he and his teammates “just try to make it difficult. Give him different looks. He 
made a lot of tough ones (Thursday).
“I just thought we didn’t do enough to make it hard on him.”
Even when opponents do make it hard on him, Dončić still ranks third on the league’s all-time 35-point triple-double list with 25.
Dončić will get an opportunity to extend his streak when the Mavs face the Detroit Pistons on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena. Dončić has scored at least 30 points in six of the seven career games he’s played against the Pistons.
That includes the 53-point explosion Dončić tallied against the Pistons the last time these two teams met on Jan, 30, 2023. As a 
whole, the 35.7 points Dončić averages against Detroit represents the highest scoring average by a Pistons’ opponent in the team’s illustrious history.
Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (34.6 ppg), is second in three-pointers made (3.9), third in assists (9.8 apg) and eighth in steals (1.4 spg).
*For the Mavs, this is the opener of a brief two-game road trip which concludes Monday in Chicago. After that, the Mavs have a brutal stretch of three games starting Wednesday at home against the Golden State Warriors, Thursday at the Oklahoma City Thunder, and March 17 at home against the defending world champion Denver Nuggets.
*The Pistons are on a six-game home stand. The home stand started gloriously with Thursday’s 118-112 triumph over the Brooklyn Nets. Also on this homestand, the Pistons will entertain Charlotte on Monday, Toronto on Wednesday and Miami twice – on March 15 and March 17 – before playing in Boston on March 18.
*The Mavs are coming off Thursday’s 114-108 victory over Miami when they outrebounded the Heat, 45-35. That includes holding Miami to just two offensive rebounds, which is a season-low for a Mavs opponent. Over the last 10 years the Mavs have held an opponent to two or fewer offensive rebounds just twice. The Heat also collected just two offensive rebounds against the Mavs on Dec. 22, 2017, and Houston grabbed just two offensive rebounds during a Feb. 11, 2018 game against the Mavs.
*This is the first meeting of the season between the Mavs and Pistons. Detroit is the only team the Mavs haven’t played this season. These two teams will also meet in Dallas on April 12 in the Mavs’ next-to-last game of the regular season.
*Against Miami,
the Mavs were 16-of-41 from the three-point line. It was their 37th game this season converting at least 15 three-pointers. That ties for the sixth-most 15-plus three-pointers made in a game in NBA history through 63 games. The Mavs are 28-9 this season when they make at least 15 three-pointers in a game.
*The Pistons are 43-40 all-time against the Mavs, including owning a 24-19 record during games played in Detroit. But the Mavs have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two clubs.
*Arlington native Cade Cunningham has played just one game in his career against the Mavs. In that contest on April 6, 2022, Cunningham collected
25 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and two steals. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Cunningham was born in Arlington and played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Arlington Bowie High School before transferring to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., for his junior season.
*Mavs forward P.J. Washington is coming off a 10-point scoring output against Miami. It was the sixth straight game Washington has scored at least 10 points. That ties for his second-longest streak of the season since he opened the season scoring 10 or more points in the first eight games while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets.
*For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham averages 22.4 ppg and 7.5 apg. Also, Jaden Ivey is averaging 15.4 ppg, Simone Fontecchio averages 14 ppg, Jalen Duren is averaging 13.9 ppg, and Isaiah Stewart averages 11.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (35-28) at DETROIT PISTONS (10-52)
When: 6 p.m., Saturday
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
TV: BSSW
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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