Mavs Step Back: Luka Doncic Out-Duels LeBron James in Win Over Lakers; Dante Exum Revelation!
Although we're just a little over a quarter of the way into the season, the Dallas Mavericks might something special brewing in Luka Doncic's sixth year.
Facing the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers on a second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday, it would've been completely understandable if the Mavs had endured a "scheduled loss." After blowing a 15-point lead in the third quarter and trailing to start the final frame, things were starting to trend that way ... but then, Doncic, Dante Exum, Tim Hardaway Jr., Grant Williams and Dereck Lively II pulled together and gutted out 127-125 win in front of a raucous American Airlines Center crowd.
Doncic, who might be the MVP frontrunner at this point, led the way for Dallas with 33 points, six rebounds and 17 assists, but it was the play of Exum that had everyone mesmerized. The 28-year-old Aussie scored 26 points in 36 minutes as a starter, and he hit a career-high seven 3s in addition to his four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Dallas is now 4-0 in games Exum starts this season.
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"Obviously, I'm feeling great. Most importantly we got the win. We got up early and they fought back. We knew it was a back-to-back, it was a game we had to fight. They were coming off their tournament win. I think it was a good fighting game, back and forth," Exum said.
"Knowing guys are going to help off to double [Luka], and I have to be ready. I try to put myself in the situation where I can be on the floor. I don't want to be the guy that is taken out because I can't hit that shot."
The Mavs are now 15-8 and currently sit in third-place in the Western Conference standings. Between putting up MVP numbers and being sleep deprived from becoming a new father, Doncic is starting to feel it a little bit, but he's incredibly proud of what his team has been able to accomplish so far, especially with so many guys out with injuries.
"I don't know how I played. I slept very little today, and everything hurts. I am getting older," said Doncic, who has yet to turn 25 years old. "But we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing, especially against a team like the Lakers. So, I am really proud of these guys."
Hardaway and Williams made huge contributions in this one as well, pouring in 32 and 19 points respectively. After shooting under 30 percent in his previous six games, Williams came back from his bone bruise injury to shoot 7-9 overall and 5-7 from deep against the Lakers while also playing some strong defense.
On the latest episode of our Mavs Step Back Podcast, we give a full breakdown of what we saw in Dallas’ thrilling win over the Lakers. From Doncic’s brilliance, to Exum’s revelation, and everything in between, there was a lot of good things to be discussed in this one.
You can watch or listen to this episode below. Also, be sure to SUBSCRIBE on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts! We are a little over 100 subscribers away from hitting the 15,000 mark, and we can’t thank you enough!
