If you don't have the right personnel, the right body on him, you've got to play like we did tonight. "He gets you inside with his body, scores, gets to the free throw line. Only Rick Barry has more 50-point performances at age 23 or younger in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, as Doncic matched Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James and Jordan in that category. It was the fifth 50-point performance of Doncic's career, one more than the rest of the Mavs have combined in franchise history. He hit a dagger with 46 seconds remaining, a pivoting fadeaway from the free throw line that got a friendly bounce after hitting the front rim, pushing Doncic over 50 points. The Mavs took the lead while he rested for the first six minutes, and Doncic served as the closer, scoring eight points in the final 4:01. And attack the paint every time."ĭallas pulled within a point by the end of the third quarter. But sometimes just before they go, attack. "If I would have waited, they would still come double. "Sometimes you've just got to accept the coverage when they're doubling," said Doncic, who also had eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. He dominated the quarter, scoring 18 points on five layups, an off-dribble fadeaway and six free throws. The Mavs made it a priority to speed up the pace in the second half to prevent the Pistons from executing their traps on Doncic. Once we started to knock those down, our defense picked up." "The rhythm of those shots, we just have to be consistent with because we're going to see that all year. "He's been very unselfish with the double-teams," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. The Pistons frequently trapped Doncic near half court, forcing the ball out of his hands, holding him to only three points in the second quarter while his Dallas teammates struggled to hit open 3-pointers created by the attention that Detroit paid the MVP candidate. "Did some good work."Īccording to ESPN Stats & Information research, Doncic became only the fourth player in the last 50 years to record four 50-point performances before February, joining Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and James Harden, the latter of whom accomplished the feat three times.ĭallas needed a dominant performance by Doncic, as the Mavs had to rally from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter for the win. "Obviously not 100%, but it's good," Doncic said of the ankle. He was coming off the only scoreless performance in his career, having exited Thursday's win over the Phoenix Suns only three minutes and 21 seconds into the game due to the injury. He's a great player without all the other stuff, but it is what it is."ĭoncic was remarkably efficient, going 17-of-24 from the floor, 5-of-11 from 3-point range and 14-of-18 from the free-throw line in his return after missing one game with the ankle injury. "It's good if that's what he needs to get himself going and tell himself. I love the way he plays, the way he carries himself, and I love the way our guys responded. I thought it really got us going, and that's the way it should be with competitive guys. Remember I coached Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett, so that tonight was zero as far as chirping. "It's a bunch of nothing, a bunch of nothing," Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. 27 overtime win over the New York Knicks. That happened many more times throughout the game as Doncic tied Dirk Nowitzki for the second-highest scoring performance in franchise history, trailing only Doncic's own 60-point outing in a Dec. On several occasions, Doncic talked trash to Allen while jogging back on defense. It gets me going for sure."ĭoncic glared at Allen after most of his baskets in the first quarter, when the Mavs were playing offense in front of Detroit's bench and Doncic scored 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting. "I mean, since the first quarter, he was chirping," Doncic said after his NBA-leading fourth 50-point performance of the season. He had certainly gotten the final word, scoring 53 points in his return from a brief absence due to a sprained left ankle to lead the Mavs to victory. He approached Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen to offer a few parting thoughts, punctuating a conversation that had continued throughout the game, a final exchange that was extended as they barked at each other while Doncic slowly backpedaled toward the Dallas bench.Īs the discussion ended, Doncic laughed and cracked a big smile. Luka Doncic drops 53 in Mavs' win while chirping with Pistons assistantĭALLAS - Luka Doncic made a detour toward the Detroit Pistons' bench during a timeout with 7.1 seconds remaining in the Dallas Mavericks' 111-105 win Monday night. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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