Luka Doncic: From ‘Janky’ to Cusp of West Semifinals
Taking nearly two weeks off and returning to playoff basketball is a challenge for anyone, even Luka Doncic. And though the box score in his return looked like a typical Doncic effort, he felt something was just off.
Not so Monday night. Doncic hit on all cylinders as the Dallas Mavericks smoked the Utah Jazz 102-77 to take a 3-2 first-round series lead.
Luka Doncic posted 33 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists – all game highs. Doncic has led the Mavs in points, rebounds and assists (including ties) in eight of his 15 career postseason games.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images
“Way better than the first game,” Doncic said. “The first game I was janky, but I feel better.”
After missing the first three games with a sprained calf, Doncic put up 30 points and 10 boards in Saturday’s 100-99 Game 4 loss at Utah. He admitted again Monday night to feeling tired in his postseason debut two days prior and was winded some during the third-quarter run that blew open Game 5.
“For his second game back, it looks like he’s been playing this whole series,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.
Overall, the energy was there for Doncic, especially on the defensive end. Dallas was a team-best plus-32 in Doncic’s 33 minutes on the floor. Utah’s 77 points were a season-low for a Mavs opponent, and the fewest the Jazz have scored since notching 68 in a loss at Dallas in 2018.
Along with getting two more days to recover, Doncic fed off the energy of the home crowd. American Airlines Center nearly erupted in the third as the Mavs took as much as a 33-point behind Doncic.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s one of those feelings that you just can’t describe. The whole arena is cheering for you, for your team. It’s unbelievable. I think the fans were amazing (Monday night).
“They helped us get this win. If it’s not for them, I don't think we would win the game. They push us up every time we were tired. Our guys were tired, but they push us up and I just want to thank them.”
Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images
Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images
Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images
Doncic scored 19 in the third. Utah had 19.
“The ball was just going in for him,” Jalen Brunson said. “We feed off that, the fans feed off that, and so it was great momentum for us. It kind of helped us continue the rest of the game, but he’s one of a kind. He makes life a lot easier.”
Doncic shot 11-22 from the floor and made three 3-pointers. On a night when just about everything went right, he even shrugged off a hard foul in the fourth that led to Hassan Whiteside’s ejection.
“It’s playoffs, it’s playoffs,” Doncic said. “There’s always gonna be attention, but it was nothing. I tried to dunk it and wasn’t successful, but it's the playoffs. These things happen in the playoffs.”
What's happening in these playoffs is Dallas is one win away from the Western Conference semifinals and ending an 11-year postseason drought. The Mavs haven’t won a playoff series since capturing the NBA title in 2011.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Salt Lake City, with a deciding seventh game back in Dallas on Saturday if necessary.
