section_path: Professional career/Dallas Mavericks (2018–2025)/First scoring title and finals appearance (2023–24)
section_name: First scoring title and finals appearance (2023–24)
paragraph_text: First scoring title and finals appearance (2023–24)
  
  On October 25, 2023, Dončić put up a triple-double with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 126–119 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He also became the first player in Mavericks history to put up a 30-point triple-double in a season-opening game. Two days later, Dončić scored 49 points, including a career-high nine three-pointers, to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 125–120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. On November 10, Dončić scored 44 points on 17-of-21 shooting from the field in a 144–126 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 2, he recorded his 59th career regular-season triple-double with 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 18 assists in a 126–120 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, tying Larry Bird for ninth on the all-time career triple-double list. Four days later, Dončić recorded the 60th triple-double of his career with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 147–97 victory over the Utah Jazz. During the first half, Dončić scored 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking the first 25-point triple-double in NBA history entering halftime. This mark also broke a tie with Bird for ninth place on the all-time career triple-doubles list. On December 11, Dončić put up 35 points in a 120–113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He became the second-fastest player in NBA history to achieve 1,000 made career three-pointers, trailing Buddy Hield and doing so in 351 games. Dončić also became the youngest player in NBA history to achieve 1,000 career three-pointers, doing so at 24 years and 287 days old. On December 16, Dončić had a triple-double with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 131–120 victory over Portland Trail Blazers. He passed Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the all-time 40-point triple-doubles list. Chamberlain had seven career games where he posted a 40-point triple-double, and now Dončić has eight such games. On December 25, Dončić put up 50 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, and four steals in a 128–114 victory over the Phoenix Suns. He reached 10,000 career points in the same game. Dončić became the sixth player to reach 10,000 career regular-season points before turning 25, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady. Dončić tied Bob McAdoo for reaching 10,000 points in the seventh-fewest games in NBA history. He is the quickest player to reach 10,000 points among active players as of 2023 with 358 games. This is the fastest since Michael Jordan. Dončić is also tied for the third-most points for Christmas Day games, behind Bernard King and Wilt Chamberlain.
  
  On January 25, 2024, Dončić was named a Western Conference starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, marking his fifth consecutive selection and his fourth selection as a starter. The next day, Dončić became the fourth player in league history to put up 72 or more points in a game and became the first player ever to score at least 70 points while shooting 75% or better from the field in a 148–143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, finishing with a career-high 73 points (shooting 25-of-33 overall, with eight three-pointers made), setting a new franchise record, and with it being the most efficient 70-plus-point game in history. This marked the most points scored in a single game by any player since Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on January 22, 2006. Dončić's 33 field goal attempts were fewest field goal attempts needed to reach 70 points. His 41 points in the first half also set a Mavericks franchise record for the most points in any half, surpassing the previous record set by Dirk Nowitzki in December 2009. On January 27, Dončić recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first player in NBA history to average a 50-point triple-double over a two game span. Two days later in a 131–129 victory over the Orlando Magic, Dončić became the seventh youngest player to record 3,000 assists, and joined LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history to reach 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists before turning 25 years old.
  
  On March 4, Dončić was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Month award for his play during the month of February, the fourth of his career. On March 9, Dončić recorded 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 142–124 victory over the Detroit Pistons. He became the first player to record six consecutive 30-point triple-doubles in NBA history. On April 2, Dončić was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Month award for his play during the month of March, the fifth of his career. It marked the second time in Dončić's career that he averaged a 30-point triple-double during any calendar month. The only other players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double in a month are Oscar Robertson (5 times) and Russell Westbrook (twice). Dončić also became the first player in franchise history to earn the monthly award in consecutive months and joined Dirk Nowitzki as the only Mavericks to receive the honor twice in the same season. On April 9, Dončić put up a triple-double with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 130–104 win over the Charlotte Hornets, tying James Harden for eighth on the all-time career triple-double list. Dončić also surpassed Mark Aguirre 's previous record of 2,330 points, for the most points scored in a season by a player in franchise history. Dončić finished the regular season as the first European to lead the NBA in scoring and the second international player to achieve the feat. Dončić finished the season's MVP race in third place. He was selected to his fifth All-NBA First Team, joining Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan as the only players with five All-NBA First Team selections before their 26th birthday, and also joined Larry Bird, George Gervin and Duncan as the only players to earn five-or-more All-NBA First Team selections within their first six seasons since the ABA–NBA merger. Dončić finished third in MVP voting behind Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
  
  On May 15, 2024, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dončić delivered his sixth career playoff triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 104–92 victory. In Game 6, Dončić logged his fourth triple-double of the 2024 playoffs with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 117–116 victory, thus sending the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals. In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 24, Dončić recorded a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, and a game-winning three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, in a 109–108 victory. In Game 5, Dončić put up 36 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks to defeat the Timberwolves, 124–103, and secure the Mavericks' third NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. He would also win the Western Conference finals MVP. Dončić became the sixth player in NBA history after Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Nikola Jokić and Jayson Tatum to lead their team in points, rebounds, and assists while reaching the NBA Finals.
  
  In Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Dončić scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 107–89 loss. He became just the first player since Tim Duncan in 1999 to record a 30-point double-double in his first Finals game. In Game 2, Dončić became the first player in Dallas franchise history to record a triple-double in a Finals game. He finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in a 105–98 loss. It was his 10th career playoff triple-double. In Game 3, he fouled out in the game with over four minutes remaining in the game. Dallas would go on to lose the Finals to Boston in five games despite Dončić's 28-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist and 3-steal outing in the 106–88 close-out loss in Game 5. He also finished the postseason as the leader in total points (635), rebounds (208) and assists (178), becoming the second player in NBA history to finish as the playoff leader in all three of those categories since Nikola Jokić pulled off the feat in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
  
  On October 25, 2023, Dončić put up a triple-double with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 126–119 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He also became the first player in Mavericks history to put up a 30-point triple-double in a season-opening game. Two days later, Dončić scored 49 points, including a career-high nine three-pointers, to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 125–120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. On November 10, Dončić scored 44 points on 17-of-21 shooting from the field in a 144–126 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 2, he recorded his 59th career regular-season triple-double with 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 18 assists in a 126–120 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, tying Larry Bird for ninth on the all-time career triple-double list. Four days later, Dončić recorded the 60th triple-double of his career with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 147–97 victory over the Utah Jazz. During the first half, Dončić scored 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking the first 25-point triple-double in NBA history entering halftime. This mark also broke a tie with Bird for ninth place on the all-time career triple-doubles list. On December 11, Dončić put up 35 points in a 120–113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He became the second-fastest player in NBA history to achieve 1,000 made career three-pointers, trailing Buddy Hield and doing so in 351 games. Dončić also became the youngest player in NBA history to achieve 1,000 career three-pointers, doing so at 24 years and 287 days old. On December 16, Dončić had a triple-double with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 131–120 victory over Portland Trail Blazers. He passed Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the all-time 40-point triple-doubles list. Chamberlain had seven career games where he posted a 40-point triple-double, and now Dončić has eight such games. On December 25, Dončić put up 50 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, and four steals in a 128–114 victory over the Phoenix Suns. He reached 10,000 career points in the same game. Dončić became the sixth player to reach 10,000 career regular-season points before turning 25, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady. Dončić tied Bob McAdoo for reaching 10,000 points in the seventh-fewest games in NBA history. He is the quickest player to reach 10,000 points among active players as of 2023 with 358 games. This is the fastest since Michael Jordan. Dončić is also tied for the third-most points for Christmas Day games, behind Bernard King and Wilt Chamberlain.
  
  On January 25, 2024, Dončić was named a Western Conference starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, marking his fifth consecutive selection and his fourth selection as a starter. The next day, Dončić became the fourth player in league history to put up 72 or more points in a game and became the first player ever to score at least 70 points while shooting 75% or better from the field in a 148–143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, finishing with a career-high 73 points (shooting 25-of-33 overall, with eight three-pointers made), setting a new franchise record, and with it being the most efficient 70-plus-point game in history. This marked the most points scored in a single game by any player since Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on January 22, 2006. Dončić's 33 field goal attempts were fewest field goal attempts needed to reach 70 points. His 41 points in the first half also set a Mavericks franchise record for the most points in any half, surpassing the previous record set by Dirk Nowitzki in December 2009. On January 27, Dončić recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first player in NBA history to average a 50-point triple-double over a two game span. Two days later in a 131–129 victory over the Orlando Magic, Dončić became the seventh youngest player to record 3,000 assists, and joined LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history to reach 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists before turning 25 years old.
  
  On March 4, Dončić was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Month award for his play during the month of February, the fourth of his career. On March 9, Dončić recorded 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 142–124 victory over the Detroit Pistons. He became the first player to record six consecutive 30-point triple-doubles in NBA history. On April 2, Dončić was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Month award for his play during the month of March, the fifth of his career. It marked the second time in Dončić's career that he averaged a 30-point triple-double during any calendar month. The only other players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double in a month are Oscar Robertson (5 times) and Russell Westbrook (twice). Dončić also became the first player in franchise history to earn the monthly award in consecutive months and joined Dirk Nowitzki as the only Mavericks to receive the honor twice in the same season. On April 9, Dončić put up a triple-double with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 130–104 win over the Charlotte Hornets, tying James Harden for eighth on the all-time career triple-double list. Dončić also surpassed Mark Aguirre 's previous record of 2,330 points, for the most points scored in a season by a player in franchise history. Dončić finished the regular season as the first European to lead the NBA in scoring and the second international player to achieve the feat. Dončić finished the season's MVP race in third place. He was selected to his fifth All-NBA First Team, joining Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan as the only players with five All-NBA First Team selections before their 26th birthday, and also joined Larry Bird, George Gervin and Duncan as the only players to earn five-or-more All-NBA First Team selections within their first six seasons since the ABA–NBA merger. Dončić finished third in MVP voting behind Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
  
  On May 15, 2024, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dončić delivered his sixth career playoff triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 104–92 victory. In Game 6, Dončić logged his fourth triple-double of the 2024 playoffs with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 117–116 victory, thus sending the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals. In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 24, Dončić recorded a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, and a game-winning three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, in a 109–108 victory. In Game 5, Dončić put up 36 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks to defeat the Timberwolves, 124–103, and secure the Mavericks' third NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. He would also win the Western Conference finals MVP. Dončić became the sixth player in NBA history after Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Nikola Jokić and Jayson Tatum to lead their team in points, rebounds, and assists while reaching the NBA Finals.
  
  In Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Dončić scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 107–89 loss. He became just the first player since Tim Duncan in 1999 to record a 30-point double-double in his first Finals game. In Game 2, Dončić became the first player in Dallas franchise history to record a triple-double in a Finals game. He finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in a 105–98 loss. It was his 10th career playoff triple-double. In Game 3, he fouled out in the game with over four minutes remaining in the game. Dallas would go on to lose the Finals to Boston in five games despite Dončić's 28-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist and 3-steal outing in the 106–88 close-out loss in Game 5. He also finished the postseason as the leader in total points (635), rebounds (208) and assists (178), becoming the second player in NBA history to finish as the playoff leader in all three of those categories since Nikola Jokić pulled off the feat in the 2023 NBA playoffs.