NBA Top Five Performances, Jan. 30: Luka Doncic Dropped 53 Points in Return from Injury
TOP PLAYER OF THE DAY:
Luka Doncic was sidelined with a right ankle sprain since getting injured early against the Phoenix Suns.
He returned against the Detroit Pistons, dropping 53 points on 17 of 24 shooting. No other player on the Mavericks had more than 12 points. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd marveled at Doncic’s MVP-level performance.
“Luka was going,” Kidd said. “The first half was pretty productive. You look at what he was doing offensively, just being able to keep us in the game. He’s been very unselfish with the double teams, and guys were able to get shots.”
Perhaps Doncic’s run-in with Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen motivated him as well.
OTHERS:
- Steph Curry had 38 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Curry shot 8 of 14 from 3-point range to help Golden State get their third consecutive win.
- Damian Lillard’s 42-point performance got the Trailer Blazers past the Atlanta Hawks.
- De’Aaron Fox had 32 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Kings’ overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Fox’s 13 30-point games rank him top 20 this season in that category.
- Paolo Banchero’s 29 points and 10 rebounds helped the Magic comeback from an early 21-point deficit against the 76ers. Banchero’s big night aided the Magic in ending the 76ers’ seven-game win streak.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
