Mavs Donuts: Dallas Outlasts LeBron's Lakers, Social Media Reacts to Luka Dunk
There’s no party quite like an LA party.
The Dallas Mavericks, after celebrating Luka Doncic’s 23rd birthday, kept the party vibes going by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, causing LeBron James to further express his frustrations with his team’s play. Social media also had fun time with Luka Doncic’s highlight put-back dunk.
Our fresh batch of "Mavs Donuts," as always, has a little bit of everything. Dive in!
Donut 1: Mavs Take Down Lakers in LA
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers came into Tuesday night's head-to-head matchup on two different trajectories and feeling polar-opposite emotions. The Mavs were coming off a resounding 107-101 win over the Golden State Warriors in a game where they trailed by 19 points with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth. The Lakers, on the other hand, got booed off their own home court after an embarrassing 123-95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Not surprisingly, both teams' fortunes stayed the course as the Mavs took down the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, 109-104, although it wasn't as lopsided as throughout as many thought it would be due to a poor Mavs' third quarter.
Donut 2: Dinwiddie Praise Doncic's Game
NBA / Twitter
Following the Mavs takeover at Crypto.com Arena, Mavs backup guard Spencer Dinwiddie expressed his thoughts on Doncic's performance vs. the Lakers.
"He's more athletic than you think," said Spencer Dinwiddie, who had yet another good game after scoring 24 points on Sunday. "I didn't think he was going to do it. ... I think he was just mad. ... When you have the best player on the court every night, you have a chance to win basketball games."
Donut 3: Mavs Win Made LeBron James Feel Like... 'Poop'
The Los Angeles Lakers, after having dropped yet another game on Tuesday - this one a 109-104 decision at home against Luka Doncic's surging Dallas Mavericks - have lost three games in a row. They sit a season-worst 27-34, as they hover right around 10 games behind the Mavs, who at 37-25 are fifth in the West.
“I hate losing,” LeBron said in summary of this game at Crypto.com Area. “I feel like poop.''
Donut 4: The Luka Dunk Heard Around the World
If there were any doubts about Michael Jordan transferring some of his powers over to Luka Doncic during the NBA All-Star break, there may not be any now, as Doncic dropped jaws with this massive put-back dunk over Lakers center Dwight Howard.
Donut 5: Doncic's Teammates React to His Dunk
Although seeing a Doncic dunk isn't rare, a put-back 'facial' is another story. Doncic's teammates relayed their level of shock during postgame interviews.
"I thought it was, Maxi", Dorian Finney-Smith said of Doncic's monstrous dunk.
"Never seen it. Ever. I didn't know what to do.", Jalen Brunson awed at his teammate's human-highlight moment.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd humorously commented on the dunk as well.
"You sure that was Luka... it wasn't Maxi? Davis? Dwight? It had to be Dwight."
Donut 6: OK, OK... One More Doncic Put-Back Dunk Tidbit
NBA / Twitter
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Luka "Magic" is more than a moniker; it's a way of life. Doncic simply plays the game, and somehow, he'll break a record or do something new without really trying. Doncic's put-back dunk, going by NBA.com's database, is the first in his career. As it turns out, rubbing elbows with Michael Jordan at the NBA All-Star break has its perks after all.
Donut 7: On This Day
Although Doncic bested the Lakers Tuesday night, historically, LA has the upper hand in the all-time series vs. Dallas. The late, great Kobe Bryant exploded on the Mavs numerous times. On this day, in 2008, the "Black Mamba" scored 52 points over Dirk Nowitzki's Mavs in a winning effort.
Donut 8: Morant or Doncic for MVP?
Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports
NBA / Twitter
The Memphis Grizzlies have been receiving elite play from Ja Morant as of late. After scoring 52 points against the San Antonio Spurs, he appears to be the top competitor to Luka Doncic winning Western Conference Player of the Month.
NBA on ESPN debated which 25-and-under superstar they would pick to build a franchise around if they could pick any. Former NBA player Matt Barnes chose Doncic over Ja Morant and the rest and gave detailed reasoning for it.
Donut 9: Doncic Lifts Mavs Into Power Rankings Top 10
All of this recent success for the Mavs has resulted in improved their status in multiple NBA Power Rankings. First up, NBA reporter Marc Stein squeezed Dallas into his top-10 this week.
"The Mavericks stand as a fascinating illustration of modern basketball," said Stein in his reasoning for moving the Mavs up a notch. "Even with both Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in prime roles ... Dallas decided that it needed even more ballhandling. ... Moving on from Porzingis was the primary aim, but the early returns from the newcomers have been promising, as illustrated most by Dinwiddie's role in Dallas' impressive climb Sunday out of a 21-point hole to win at Golden State."
Donut 10: Luka Wins Battle with NBA Officials
With Luka Doncic being called for his 13th technical foul of the 2021-22 season during the Dallas Mavericks' 107-103 win over the Golden State Warriors, his complaining to the referees has once again become a focus.
On Tuesday, the NBA announced they had rescinded the technical foul, so now, Doncic is back to only having 12 on the season. He still is within striking distance of the league's limit of 16 technical fouls in a season before receiving an automatic one-game suspension.
Donut 11: How Dallas Pulled Off Epic "Culture" Win Over Golden State
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks trailed the Golden State Warriors 73-52 at the 8:25 mark of the third quarter, but an incredible fourth-quarter comeback from the Mavs resulted in a 107-101 victory.
How did the Mavericks pull off such an incredible victory? Spencer Dinwiddie, who led the Mavericks with 10 points in the final frame, offered some key insight into how it happened — mentioning how cutting it to single digits changed the psychology behind their efforts.
DallasBasketball.com elaborated on the impressive win in Grant Afseth's "Mavs Film Room" session.
Donut 12: What's Next for Mavs?
The Mavs play the Warriors on Thursday evening. Dallas holds a 2-1 advantage over the second-best team in the Western Conference. Will Dallas take a 3-1 lead or will Golden State tie the regular-season series? Follow Dallasbasketball.com for further coverage.
