Luka Like Dirk: 3 Big Takeaways From Mavs' Win at Houston
It doesn't matter how you win ... as long as you do, in fact, win.
This has been what the Dallas Mavericks have clung to over their last two games, which have both been ugly wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets. In the latest one on Friday night, Luka Doncic dropped 50 points on the Rockets as the Mavs went on to win the game 112-106.
It wasn't pretty, but for a team that has struggled to stay over .500 so far this season, the Mavs will definitely take what they can get as they prepare for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Friday night's game.
Luka like Dirk
Doncic's 50-point explosion was reminiscent of the career-high 53 points Dirk Nowitzki also dropped on the Rockets on Dec. 2, 2004. Nowitzki out-dueled Tracy McGrady in a 113-106 overtime win at American Airlines Center.
Doncic tied Nowtzki for the most 50-point games (2) in Mavericks history. At the young age of 23 years old, Doncic already holds Dallas franchise records for most triple-doubles, 45-point games and many other specific stat lines, like most games with at least 40 points and 10 assists.
Don't get me wrong, Doncic still has a long way to go in order to catch Nowitzki for the title of "Best Maverick Ever," but he is on one hell of a pace to start his career. If Doncic can find a way to bring a championship or two to Dallas before it's all said and done, the debate might not be as long as people initially thought it would be.
Ahead of Sunday's matinee Christmas Day game against the Lakers, the Mavs will unveil Nowitzki's long-awaited statue in front of American Airlines Center ... yet another visual for Doncic to soak in and take to heart, as he could potentially have the same thing if he follows in Nowitzki's footsteps.
Latvian Laser making an impact
When looking at the Mavs' box score against the Rockets, there were two major things that stuck out: Doncic's 50 points and Dāvis Bertans' team-high +23 in just 17 minutes off the bench.
Bertans only shot 3-7 from the field, including 2-6 from deep, but he was a perfect 3-3 on free throws and had two steals and one block in his limited playing time. Bertans has his limitations, but giving maximum effort and running the floor hard are two of his biggest strengths. For an injury-riddled team that was lacking juice most of the night on Friday, the Mavs got a nice Latvian Laser injection at just the right time.
"Very big," Doncic said of Bertans' 3-point shot to stop Houston's run with less than three minutes remaining. "You know, he was +23. He did a lot, he's energy. He helps us a lot. His shooting is amazing. He did a great job today."
Laying the Wood defensively
One thing that has been noticeable since Christian Wood has become a starter alongside Doncic has been his improved defense. Wood didn't have the greatest offensive performance against his former team, as he scored just eight points on 2-6 shooting, but he ended up with four blocks on the night.
Over his last five games, Wood is averaging 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 32.6 minutes. He becomes eligible for a contract extension today, and if he continues to buy in defensively like he has lately, the Mavs would be wise to make him an extension offer. Even a max extension, which would top out at four years, $77 million, would be better than letting Wood walk for nothing in free agency like Jalen Brunson did in the offseason.
"Not every basketball game should be about scoring," said Doncic. "[C-Wood] had an offensive rebound at the end that gave us an extra possession. He had two blocks down the stretch. ... He was really big (for us)."
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