How Mavs' Luka Doncic Picked Apart Suns to Lead Thrilling Christmas Day Win
PHOENIX — When the Dallas Mavericks have needed even more from Luka Doncic amid a slew of injuries to various vital players, he's gotten the job done. The Slovenian superstar's latest masterpiece came in a 128-114 road win over the Phoenix Suns, recording 50 points, six rebounds, 15 assists, four blocks, and three steals. He shot a highly efficient 15-25 from the floor, 8-16 from beyond the arc, and 12-12 on free throws.
The outing included Doncic scoring his 10,000th regular-season career point while joining an exclusive club of players, including Bernard King and Wilt Chamberlain, to score 50 or more points on Christmas Day.
"Always, when this kind [of] award comes with a win, it's even more fun," said Doncic, who also tallied 15 assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks. "It was a tough road game, and we won. So, outside of the 10K and 50 points, we won the game. So, I'm really happy."
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
It feels like Doncic is setting some new historical achievements each passing game while continuing to provide an incredible overall impact for his team. He's averaging 37.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 11.6 assists after 11 performances in December as the team navigates not having many key players. The Suns were just the latest team to fail to contain him.
"I mean, he does this every game," Suns superstar Kevin Durant said. "He controls the whole game; [he] passes, rebounds, scores. We kind of expect this from him at this point, right?"
Doncic, who the Suns frequently double-teamed from the start of the game, orchestrated the offense in the half-court with precision as a passer while balancing opportunities to attack as a scorer. Whether it's rookie center Dereck Lively II on the short-roll or floor spacing and splashing newcomers on the wing like Dante Exum and Derrick Jones Jr., the unit as a whole has seen many double-teams, affording the reps to build on how they punish them.
"I think it's more his teammates doing the study, and his basketball IQ is like no other," Kidd said of Doncic. "He understands how they're playing them. He's seen double teams at the age of 13. We've seen everything from being double-teamed, from taking the ball out to the box-and-one [last season], to being hit and bringing the ball over half-court. We saw it the other night after the jump ball, you know, being double-teamed.
"His IQ is high. He just tries to be the best quarterback on the floor, finding his teammates, and that makes the game easier for him," Kidd explained. "But again, he's on a stretch right now where he's scoring 30.5, which is incredible being double-teamed as much as he is."
The Suns were often disadvantaged based on the personnel they deployed, frequently using Grayson Allen as the point-of-attack defender against Doncic. Phoenix lacked rim protection with Drew Eubanks starting instead of the injured Jusuf Nurkic, with plenty of small ball being used. Doncic had an ideal set of circumstances to be aggressive early in possessions by attacking Allen and putting Eubanks into screening actions.
If the Suns stayed in single coverage or switched, Docnic was aggressive, looking to score or get into the paint and make the correct read. With Allen being 6-foot-4 and listed under 200 pounds, it wasn't a tenable option not to blitz or send late doubles when he was in the action. Doncic used his size advantage a few times, first by splitting two smaller defenders after Allen went under a ball screen before finishing at the rim as seemingly Phoenix's defense had a breakdown with trying to get Eubanks switched off Lively and not be in action. The Suns had a stretch trying to put a guard on Lively to switch the initial ball-screening action but were made to pay by the high-flying big being a relief threat in the dunker's spot as Doncic attacked out of empty corner touches against a mismatch.
Doncic benefited from playing within the flow of the game as the Mavs managed to push the pace; he had multiple catch-and-shoot makes in the first quarter alone, marking the first time he's recorded consecutive games with multiple of these made shots all season. The first was a transition trailer look, while the other was getting into a quick trigger shot on a handoff from 34 feet, which became his 10,000th career point.
“Like I told you before the season,” Doncic said, “I was working on my catch-and-shoots.”
As the game progressed, the Suns wanted to deploy Josh Okogie as a frequent on-ball defensive option to try to slow down Doncic, even picking him up full-court. However, the Mavs got creative, deploying the Slovenian superstar from the elbow out of Horns before receiving a pair of ball screens to make the on-ball defender work, resulting in a step-back 3-pointer without a switch or hedge happening.
With Okogie pressuring Doncic early, the Mavs had him initiate possessions to leverage the attention drawn. The Suns blitzed regular high ball screen screens and attempted to late double after double drag screens, but regardless, he picked them apart by staying patient and manipulating the weak-side low-man before making precise passes to the open man.
With Allen and Eubanks on the floor again, there was no sense of on-ball defense presence or help defense. There was even an instance when Eubanks switched onto Doncic after a middle floor rub screen early in the shot clock, then failed to contain Doncic on an isolation drive on the perimeter, with Doncic splitting Allen as he rotated over to help, resulting in a finish in the paint once again.
There were a few late second-quarter possessions when Doncic orchestrated the offense, punishing the defense for switching after the Mavs used a Horns flare set that flowed into Stack pick-and-roll. Phoenix tried to switch the late double, but Doncic stayed patient and waited for a weakness to exploit. Chemezie Metu ball-watched the weak side, allowing Derrick Jones Jr. to 45-cut for a lob. Another play featured Doncic finding Dwight Powell on the short roll for a paint finish.
"I have never been on a team where someone is scoring the ball like this at such a high rate and also getting his teammates involved and making sure that everybody feels comfortable on the floor," Jones said. "It's incredible. It's amazing. I have never seen this before."
With Allen returning to the game, the Mavs continued to emphasize attacking the mismatch for Doncic and making the Suns pay for trying to load up on him. The Suns became more focused on sending an early low-man on baseline attacks while doubling early in touches when possible, creating chances for the weak-side offense to attack closeouts.
“A night like tonight, we have a pretty good all-around offensive night from everybody, and a guy scores 50. Part of that is hats off to Luka, our gameplan was throwing different bodies, doubling, and throwing different looks at him," Allen said. "He got hot with his step-back threes, carved us up with some passing early, and it made it really difficult to guard for the rest of the game."
In general, the Suns stayed in single-coverage for much of the third quarter when guarding Doncic, whether Allen or Okogie were involved as the on-ball defender. Doncic pushed the pace to attack in transition when opportunities were there, often to get a step-back 3-pointer off before a double team could develop. In general, he often used his size to attack Allen downhill while getting into the step-back from Deep against the more physically and athletically gifted Okogie. He often tried to pick apart the defense in the half-court to counter being doubled.
“We weren’t stopping them in the fourth, so we were taking the ball in the basket,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “Double teaming Luka, they were hurting us and when we weren’t doubling, he was hurting us as well, and I think that took us out of our rhythm offensively some.”
Despite previously leading by double figures for much of the second quarter, the Suns naturally made a run after halftime before gradually working their way to a one-point deficit before the end of the third quarter. Dallas went cold shooting from deep in this part of the game, prompting a personnel change to feature shooters like Seth Curry and Tim Hardaway Jr., who would naturally at least command off-ball respect from the defense. This opened up the half-court for Doncic to accept the double-teams and go to work as a passer, trusting his teammates to make plays off the catch.
"He's one of the best in the world. As I've always said, we can't take him for granted when he's feeling it," Kidd said. "You're just trying to get him the ball as much as possible. You're also trying to figure out how to get him some rest because we weren't going to take him out there in the second half, so we needed to ask him or someone to be able to run the offense.
"And I thought he did a great job of letting other guys bring the ball up," Kidd explained. "But again, when he's going like that, you got to get him the ball, and you trust your quarterback will do the right thing."
Doncic continues to grow in his leadership role, with a prime example of his impact occurring in this game. The Suns outscored the Mavs 38-27 in the third quarter, with a hot shooting quarter from Grayson Allen and plenty of impact from Chimezie Metu. Doncic helped weather the storm by looking for his shot from beyond the arc but kept his team level-headed when talking to the group. Dallas went on to outscore Phoenix by a 37-22 margin in the final period.
“We knew they were going to make a run,” Doncic said. “We just had to stay together. That’s what I told the guys.”
The Suns felt they were unable to stick to their gameplan nearly well enough throughout their performance, resulting in Doncic picking them apart in ways they didn't envision. With the unit not being tied together well-enough in terms of rotations and communication, the Mavs superstar routinely picked them apart throughout the night and controlled the game for long enough to lead the victory.
“Just poor rotations, poor gameplan discipline. When we do what we are supposed to do out there, it works," Booker said. "Then, as the game goes on, we just lose focus.”
"It takes five people; one slip-up will leave an open shooter," Booker explained. "That is all it takes in the NBA. Five people have to be on a string, and the communication has to be high.”
When playing alongside Doncic, his teammates feel great confidence and connectivity. Not only does Doncic pose a walking matchup nightmare for a defense, often hunting switches, but he thrives at keeping his teammates engaged and being multiple steps ahead of the defense, trusting his teammates to finish plays, whether they are in the paint as a relief option, or on the perimeter spacing the floor. When Kyrie Irving is back in the lineup, it'll only enhance how the Mavs can operate.
Classically, Doncic asked reporters why they didn't ask about his defense as he got up. Suggesting he was more proud of his four steals and three blocks than anything else he did statistically. His ability to score a season-high in transition points, partially fueled by his defensive plays, is a great indicator of the impact of his conditioning this far into the season.
“Nobody’s gonna ask me about my defense, but I don’t care,” Doncic said. “Four steals, three blocks.”
The Mavs return to action on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, beginning the first part of a back-to-back before hitting the road for a three-game Western Conference road trip.
