By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Dirk Nowitzki passed Moses Malone and he is now the 7th all time scorer in NBA history with 27.412 career points. Also Nikola Mirotic of Chicago Bulls is the rookie of the month in the East as he establishes himself in the best league of the world.
The shot which made Nowitzki the 7th all time scorer also gave the Mavericks an eight-point lead en route to a 96-88 victory over the Nets at Barclays Center. As he said after the game: “Yeah, it’s been insane, crazy ride in Year No. 17, and Moses was obviously an unbelievable player. So it has been a humbling experience to pass all these all-time greats. It’s a tribute to obviously the hard work, but all the great coaches and teammates that have gotten me to this point, and obviously staying healthy is a big part. I am proud of it but I am more proud that we got the win”. Malone finished his career with 27.409 and now the next target of Nowizki is Shaquille O’Neal who has scored 28.596 points.
Mirotic (photo) ranked second among Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (9.9 ppg), rebounding (5.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (44%). He had 6/6 threes and scored a career-high 27 points on the 19th of December during a 103-97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.