Bloody-Lip Luka Doncic Scores 28 in Dallas Mavs vs. Denver Nuggets First Half
As if the odds weren't already stacked against the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks enough in the Mile High City against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night ... superstar Luka Doncic got a bloody lip in the second quarter as the Nuggets had their way on the offensive end.
That apparently didn't make Doncic too happy, as he proceeded to torch Denver to the tune of 28 points in the first half while shooting 10-16 from the field and 6-9 from deep. This comes just one game after he put up 30 first-half points in a Saturday-night win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Doncic also had five rebounds and six assists. A 28/5/6 stat line is one most NBA players would dream of having for an entire game, and yet, Doncic continues to accomplish such feats in very little playing time.
Despite the outburst from Doncic, the Mavs still found themselves down at halftime, 68-59. Dallas shot 53.3 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from deep, but Denver did one even better by shooting 57.8 percent overall and 58.3 from beyond the arc.
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The Mavs, who are missing star point guard Kyrie Irving and key role players Dereck Lively II, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber, have had the best player in this game so far in Doncic. However, the Nuggets have shown why they are the defending NBA champions, as they just simply have the better team overall.
There are still 24 minutes left to play in this one, so we'll see if the Mavs can pull off what some might consider a miraculous comeback in the mile-high altitude. If they do, then the national media will have no choice but to move Doncic up their MVP favorite lists.
