Luka Doncic's Masterful Night Powers Mavs Past Blazers, 132-92
Just two days after the Dallas Mavericks lost a "clutch game" at the hands of Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, Luka Doncic took it upon himself to flip the script on Sunday night, as the Mavs bounced back and won this time around, 132-92.
Doncic went into a zone from beyond the arc at a level we have rarely seen before, finishing with 37 points, seven rebounds and four assists in just 30 minutes of action - all while playing just three quarters. It was the most points Doncic has scored through just three quarters in his career. Doncic shot 13-of-19 from the field and a career-high 8-of-9 from deep.
He's now shooting 43.4% from three over his last 20 games and is up to 37.1% from deep on the season.
“It was special when you feel like this,” Doncic said.
There have been many instances of "Luka Magic" over the last three years, and this one will definitely rank towards the top of that list. Doncic didn't just beat the Blazers; he completely crushed their collective spirit with every three he confidently splashed home.
When Luka is hitting his three pointers, there is often almost nothing an opponent can do that can stop the Mavs.
“Luka was just phenomenal,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “When he’s in that rhythm and is mixing in the drives and the threes, he’s virtually impossible to deal with.”
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Josh Richardson was the Mavs' second leading scorer with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from deep. Richardson also dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis pitched in 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and was a plus-30 for the game. And Dorian Finney-Smith, back in the lineup after missing due to the birth of his child, won the Defensive Belt for leading a Dallas defense that controlled the Dam Lillard/C.J. McCollum combo to just 32 total points.
The Mavs will now have a few days to rest before taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. That will be the Mavs final game before the NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday.
"Nights like that are fun, but they don’t happen very often and you’ve got to enjoy it when it happens,'' Carlisle said. “And we’ll enjoy it for a day or so and then come tomorrow or Tuesday we’ll start focusing on Minnesota.”
Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com all week for extensive Mavs trade deadline coverage. Want to catch up on a lot of our Mavs trade ideas? Browse through our recent Mavs Step Back Podcast episodes below:
