Tuesday night's NBA action featured just three games, but several big headlines from around the league. Among them were Russell Westbrook's new career high in points and Dallas Mavs' superstar Dirk Nowitzki achieving a major milestone in his career. During the team's home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Nowitzki notched his 30,000th career point, which is an accomplishment that only five other NBA stars before him have achieved. Here's a look at the latest NBA news for Dirk Nowitzki and his team's big night.

Dallas gets 122-111 victory

Tuesday night's big story arrived from Dallas where the Lakers visited the Mavs at American Airlines Arena.

With 10:58 left in the second quarter, Dirk Nowitzki drained a baseline jumper over Larry Nance Jr. to get his 30,000th career point. Over a minute after that, Dirk nailed a three-point shot and was then congratulated by his teammates and fans during the next timeout. A tribute video was also shown to honor the Mavs' longtime franchise player.

Nowitzki finished the game with 25 points on 9-for-13 field goal shooting including 3-of-4 three-pointers. The Mavs' big man also grabbed 11 boards to lead his team in victory. All of the Dallas Mavs' starters finished in double-digits with shooting guard Seth Curry the next-highest scorer with 18 points.

Nerlens Noel came off the bench to record a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds as well as three blocked shots.

The 122-111 win moved Dallas to 27-36 in the Western Conference playoff chase. Several teams including the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas are all fighting to take away Denver's No. 8 spot.

Dirk joins rare company

With his 30,000 points, Nowitzki joined an elite group of players who have achieved the feat. Just five others in NBA history have reached that many points over the course of their career: Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. Most of those players are current NBA Hall of Famers or will be in the future.

Nowitzki was originally the ninth pick of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. However, a three-team trade brought Dirk over to the Dallas Mavericks along with a young point guard named Steve Nash. The duo went on to achieve multiple All-Star appearances, MVP awards, and for Nowitzki, an NBA Championship.

Nowitzki has now achieved two career milestones ahead of superstar LeBron James with his NBA title and 30,000th point both arriving before the league's "chosen one." Dirk has become one of the top players of all-time in NBA history and Tuesday night's milestone achievement certainly cements his legendary legacy.
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