Mavs' Luka Dončić Excites NBA Fans with Triple-Double in Win vs. Jimmy Butler, Heat

You can never count Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić out.

After a relatively slow first two quarters, Dončić exploded in the second half Thursday night to lift the Mavericks to a 114-108 win over Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

Dončić was held to 12 points in the first half, but his 17-point third quarter helped the Mavs surge to a late lead over the Heat.

He finished the game with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth straight triple-double, tying Russell Westbrook for the longest streak in NBA history.

The Mavericks were trailing by four points at the half until Dončić stepped up.

Dončić directly contributed to 28 points as the Mavericks outscored the Heat 37-25 in the third to take the lead.

The Heat pulled ahead again in the fourth quarter, but Dončić made sure the Mavericks earned back the lead by completing his fifth consecutive 30-point triple double.

Kyrie Irving was also dominant in the fourth quarter. He finished out the Mavericks victory with 23 points.

Butler was held to 14 points, five assists and six takeaways in the Heat's loss.

The Mavericks improve to 35-28 on the season with Thursday night's win.

The team is back in action Saturday for a road game against the Detroit Pistons as they continue to fight for ground in the Western Conference standings.