Luka Doncic Continues Dominance as Mavericks Demolish Injury-Plagued Warriors
The Dallas Mavericks stayed hot by defeating the Golden State Warriors 142-94 Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks and 20-year-old star Luka Doncic did to the depleted Warriors what they regularly did to opponents not too long ago. Doncic followed up his 40-point triple-double from Monday night by scoring 33 points before halftime. The reigning Rookie of the Year outscored the Warriors 22-16 in the first quarter.
The Mavericks improved to 9-5 on the season with their third straight victory. Meanwhile, the 3-13 Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry (hand), D'Angelo Russell (thumb) and Draymond Green (heel) Wednesday, have dropped eight of their last nine outings.
Notable Stats
DAL F Luka Doncic: 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals
DAL F Kristaps Porzingis: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
DAL G Tim Hardaway Jr.: 20 points, 4 assists
DAL G Jalen Brunson: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
GS F Eric Paschall: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
GS G Ky Bowman: 16 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
GS G Marquese Chriss: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
GS G Alec Burks: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
Luka Doncic Continues to Make History
Doncic needed 16 points and six assists against the Warriors to average a 30-point triple-double over a 10-game span (h/t Katia Villalba). He had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists by the end of the first quarter. His sixth assist came in the second quarter.
The 20-year-old's 22-point first quarter marked his highest point total in a quarter since entering the NBA last season, according to Mavs PR. He has scored at least 10 points in seven straight first quarters, Mavs PR added, and is the only player in franchise history to accomplish that in the last 20 years.
Doncic had already made history this week when he posted 42 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in the Mavs' 117-110 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. He became the second-youngest player ever to notch a 40-point triple-double at 20 years and 263 days old, according to NBA.com. James posted 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at 20 years and 100 days old on April 9, 2005.
Doncic's 33 first-half points against the Warriors were the most in a single half by any player so far this season, according to the ESPN broadcast, and he did it in just 17 minutes on the floor. He's second to Dirk Nowitzki in the category among Mavs:
To start the second half, Doncic found forward Kristaps Porzingis for the type of alley-oop the Mavericks have been dreaming about since trading with the New York Knicks for the 7'3" All-Star in January:
Doncic had his seventh triple-double through 14 games this season secured by the end of the third quarter. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
Porzingis lauded his new teammate earlier this week to Dwain Price of the team's official website: "Luka is playing like an MVP-caliber player right now. He's just doing things, penetrating, drawing fouls, being super effective for us, shooting the ball well. He's doing it all for us and I'm happy that he's able to play at this level right now."
"As Luka demonstrates not just that he makes things happen but he can make everyone else better, why would [head coach Rick Carlisle] jump in?" Mavs owner Mark Cuban told ESPN's Tim MacMahon for a story published Wednesday morning.
"Because that's the ultimate player. When a guy can see the court, see the time and score and see who's on the court on both teams and know what to do, take the ball. But that confirmation only comes from winning."
To Cuban's point of Doncic making his teammates better, Porzingis now has four straight double-doubles for the first time in his career (h/t MacMahon).
With Doncic in top form, the Mavericks have a chance to make their first postseason appearance since the 2015-16 campaign.
What's Next?
Dallas will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, while the Warriors will travel to play the Utah Jazz Friday night.
