NBA: Luka Doncic stars as Mavericks rout Warriors 126-91; Hornets stay in playoffs contention with victory over Celtics

Luka Doncic recorded a triple double as the Dallas Mavericks handed the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors their worst loss of the season with a 126-91 blowout on Saturday. Doncic tallied a game high 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and veteran Dirk Nowitzki nailed five three-pointers as the Mavericks finished just one three-pointer shy of the franchise record of 22 in a game. [caption id=“attachment_6316891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic (left) looks to shoot as Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green defends. AP Photo[/caption] Doncic and Maxi Kleber each drained four threes as Dallas outscored the Warriors 63-12 from beyond the arc to earn their first win in Golden State since 2012. The loss on their home floor came on a night when the Warriors chose to sit out Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut. Kevin Durant had 25 points in 29 minutes for the Warriors, who had won four of their previous five games. Durant missed all eight of his three-point attempts. The 35-point margin of defeat was the largest of the season for Golden State, eclipsing a 33-point rout by the Boston Celtics. The Mavericks had a 50-point win over Utah and a 38-pointer over Charlotte earlier in the season. Nowitzki scored 10 of the game’s first 16 points, helping Dallas seize a 14-2 early lead. He finished with 21 points in his final game at the Warriors’ Oracle Arena. “I really enjoyed my time here. I played against some great players. My first basket ever was in this building,” Nowitzki said. Charlotte Hornets stay alive Elsewhere, Kemba Walker scored 18 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter and the Charlotte Hornets kept their slim playoff hopes alive by rallying to beat the Boston Celtics 124-117. Walker added 11 rebounds and nine assists in his 23rd game this season scoring 30 or more points. Rookie Miles Bridges scored a career-high 20 points, Marvin Williams and Malik Monk added 13 points apiece and Dwayne Bacon scored 11. Charlotte won its second straight, improved to 33-39 on the season. Kyrie Irving led Boston with 31 points. Jaylen Brown added 29 points and Marcus Morris 15.