Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain for sixth place on the NBA's career scoring list, but Elfrid Payton had his fifth straight triple-double to help the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 129-125 in overtime Monday night.
Payton finished with 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Dallas rookie Luka Doncic had a triple-double of his own with 29 points, 13 boards and 10 assists.
Julius Randle scored 11 of his 30 points in the final 3:29 of regulation, helping the Pelicans rally to force overtime. Doncic made the second of two free throws with 1.9 seconds left to tie the score at 110, and Randle missed a turnaround at the buzzer.
Payton and Frank Jackson each had six points in OT for the Pelicans, who ended a six-game losing streak.
Nowitzki moved past Chamberlain (31,419 points) on one of his signature long-range jumpers with 8:35 remaining in the first quarter. The 40-year-old German took a feed from Doncic and backed down Kenrich Williams before turning and launching from the top of the key.
Entering the game needing four points to pass Chamberlain, Nowitzki started for the ninth time this season. He made his first two shots to end the suspense with a sellout crowd on its feet. His first basket was a 20-footer off an assist from rookie Jalen Brunson.
Nowitzki finished with eight points, giving him 31,424 in his 21 seasons -- trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
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The two jumpers were a fitting way for Nowitzki to pass Chamberlain, whose listed height of 7-foot-1 is only an inch taller than Nowitzki. But the two reached their point totals with contrasting styles of play.
Chamberlain once averaged more than 50 points in a season, dominating inside to such a degree that the NBA widened the paint in an effort to neutralize him.
Nowitzki, meanwhile, has made nearly 2,000 3-pointers in his career, establishing the trend of big men with long-range shooting capabilities. He's an 88 percent free throw shooter, 37 points higher than Chamberlain's mark.
Also serendipitous was Nowitzki reaching the milestone at home -- he is the only NBA player to spend 21 seasons with one team. The club launched a new marketing campaign Monday called 41.21.1, commemorating his uniform number and his tenure with the team. It is anticipated that this will be his final season, though Nowitzki has only said publicly he will decide at the end of the year.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Anthony Davis had 20 points in 21 minutes. Jackson scored 19.
Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 points. Salah Mejri scored a season-high nine. ... Doncic has scored 20 or more points in 38 games, second among Mavs rookies to Jay Vincent's 53 in 1981-82.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Visit the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Mavericks: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
