'Microwaved': Luka and Curry Lead Mavs Past Pistons in Mexico City 122-111
The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last month, and have elevated to the top tier of the Western Conference Standings as a result.
That hot streak, as well as Luka Doncic's MVP campaign, continued on Thursday night, as "The Matador'' led the Mavericks to a 122-111 victory over the Detroit Pistons, completing arguably the best statistical performance in an NBA Mexico City game ever played.
Doncic, who came into the game averaging 30 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game on the season, was greeted by the Mexico City crowd with thunderous applause as he welcomed them to the affair with a pregame greeting.
On the court, amid MVP chants galore, Luka did not disappoint his fans either, scoring 41 points to go along with rebounds and 11 assists, not only notching the highest-scoring performance by a player ever seen in Mexico City, but also the first triple-double in the annual game's history.
Luka wasn't alone, however, as his new running mates, Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry, also got in on the action.
Curry, who for whatever reason thrives under the Mexico City lights, added 30 points off of the bench, hitting 11-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range.
Porzingis, meanwhile, who has still struggled to find his outside shot at times this season, found other ways to assert himself on the floor, using his strength and explosion to punish the Pistons above the rim to the tune of 20 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots.
“Doncic was spectacular,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Porzingis was great. Seth Curry off the bench was a microwave ... That means when you dial it and push the button, it gets hot real fast.”
With the win, the Mavs (17-7) are now 9-2 away from the American Airlines Center, and as the technical road team in the matchup, have now equaled their total road wins in each the last two seasons.
Dallas will be back on the court this Saturday night when they return home to face Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat (18-6) at the American Airlines Center, beginning a five-game gauntlet in which they will face each of the top-five seeds in the Eastern Conference.
The stretch, which begins with Miami on Saturday, is followed by consecutive matchups with the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers, before wrapping up with a road trip to Toronto to face the Raptors on December 22.
That's worth pondering ... just like Mexico City is worth savoring.
“We came here to get the win,” Doncic said. “And that’s what we did.”
