Dallas Mavs Hot Reactions: Luka Doncic Dominates Los Angeles Clippers; Kyrie Irving Recruiting Kawhi Leonard
After posting an 11-26 shooting night in a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Luka Doncic responded by having the most efficient game of his career on Friday in a 144-126 blowout win over Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Doncic finished with 44 points on 17-21 shooting overall (81.0 percent), six rebounds, six assists and just one turnover while being a +32 in 32 minutes. He also joined LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to have at least 31 games of 40+ points before turning 25 years old. The Mavs scored the most points in regulation since 1986 when they scored 147 on the Seattle Supersonics.
“It was great," Doncic said after the big win. "It was our defense, and we had the pace. We said before this game that we need to run, so that’s what we did. ... We don’t have many games for this In-Season Tournament, so it’s good that we got to pull this one out. Every game matters and obviously we have a lot of [regular season] games, but I think our start has been great.”
Luka Doncic joined LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to have at least 31 games of scoring 40+ points before turning 25 years old.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Doncic's co-star Kyrie Irving came to play in this one as well, pitching in 27 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while shooting 5-9 from deep. After the game, Irving was seen talking with Leonard, and given the Mavs' need for more size on the wing, paired with the fact that Leonard could opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, it sparked some interesting speculation.
“I think that’s the beautiful nature of this game and being able to respond the way we did tonight – that’s what it’s about," Irving said when asked about the Mavs' ability to bounce back from a disappointing loss. "To be able to not take it as much as a personal challenge, but a team challenge, you have to individually play our roles. But it’s a team game and collectively, we just knew in our hearts that we had to be better. I think we proved that tonight in the 48 minutes we were allowed to play out there.”
On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we discuss all the key contributions that led to the Mavs walloping the Clippers and improving to 7-2 on the season as they head out on a four-game road trip. Aside from Doncic and Irving, we also talk the big impact Derrick Jones Jr. continues to have, Josh Green's struggles, Dante Exum's bid for more minutes, and much, much more.
You can watch and listen to our full conversation below, and be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts! You can also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts for a chance to win future giveaways.
