Dirk Nowitzki Passes Moses Malone for 7th on All-Time Scoring List
Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points in Monday's 96-88 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets to move past Moses Malone for sole possession of seventh place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, per NBA.com/stats.
Nowitzki entered the game with 27,397 career points, needing just 13 to surpass Malone's 27,409—a total that doesn't include the 2,171 points Malone scored in the ABA. If points from the ABA are also included, Nowitzki stands a somewhat more modest 10th on the all-time scoring list, falling behind Malone, Julius Erving and Dan Issel, per Basketball-Reference.com.
In any case, Nowitzki was a good bet to pass Malone in Monday's game, as he entered the contest with an average of 18.5 points per game this season.
Though he finished regulation with just 12 points, Nowitzki then got to move up the scoring list in dramatic fashion, nailing a contested three-pointer with 34 seconds remaining in overtime to extend his team's lead to an insurmountable 96-88.
The veteran forward's dagger provided the final points of the game, as the Nets didn't bother fouling after guard Jarrett Jack missed a subsequent three-point attempt.
Nowitzki will now take aim at Shaquille O'Neal, who sits in sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 28,596 points, putting him 1,184 ahead of the German sharpshooter.
If he maintains his current average of 18.4 points per game, Nowitzki will need 65 appearances to pass Shaq, meaning he'll almost certainly have to wait for next season.
With 46 games remaining in the Mavs' season, Nowitzki would need to play in every game while averaging 25.8 points to pass Shaq before the end of the ongoing campaign.
