Dallas — Luka DoncicHe admitted fatigue following two off-games during this week’s Dallas Mavericks 0-2 road trip. , 3, 4” shots and Red Bull.
Results: 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the Mavericks’ 117-112 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center.
“He had 42 triple-doubles and just a short walk in the park,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd.
Doncic didn’t make such a great producing routine, but it was already the fourth 40-point triple-double of the 23-year-old’s career. It ranks sixth in NBA history, according to an ESPN Stats & Information survey.
This performance comes on the heels of Doncic being held below 30 points in his first two runs of the season. His ninth consecutive 30-point performance was the second longest streak to start a season, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 23-game run to start his campaign in 1962–63.
Kidd expressed concern that the Mavs were asking too much of a superstar when Doncic combined for 17-of-50 shooting after consecutive losses to the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. Doncic leads the league in usage percentage for the third straight season.
“He’s human,” Kidd said. “But I think he lost two games in a row and didn’t play well. The people who’ve seen him the most, he’s always bounced back. could have called it off, but he fought” and put us in a position to win. ”
Doncic overwhelmed the Blazers with his offense from the dribble. From the floor he was 13 of his 22 at bats with all but two buckets in the paint and from the line he was 15 of 18 with more frees than in his previous two games combined. I tried throwing.
“I was just attacking the paint,” said Doncic, who ranks 10th in NBA history with 49 triple-doubles. You can see that it wasn’t efficient because it didn’t come in.”
The Blazers were determined not to allow Doncic to lock the ball out of their hands and beat them in one fell swoop. His teammates responded by creating a 3-pointer in which he had four straight possessions to take the initiative in the final minutes.
Mavs guard says ‘Luka is doing a phenomenal job that poses a problem for defense’ Spencer Dinwiddie, whose 20-point, 7-rebound, 6-assist outing was underscored by 3 of the first 3 in a clutch flurry. “He gets his two points on the ball and makes the right lead a right pass.”
Doncic created a consistently open 3-point look for his teammates all night long. Aside from Dinwiddie (6/8 for 3s), the Mavs struggled shooting from deep (he was 43/14 overall). However, Doncic didn’t hesitate to give up the ball when the game was on the line as the Mavs team, which was poor in clutch situations, closed out the Blazers.
“I just pull the defense in, attack the paint and kick them out and they open the whole game,” said Doncic, who leads the league with 34.3 points and 8.1 assists per game. “Just keep shooting. I always tell them ‘Keep shooting.'” You’re open, you gotta shoot it.That’s it.I keep my trust in them I’m going to do it. It’s easy for me.
