LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Just over a minute before the end of overtime on Saturday night, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic took the ball from Kristaps Porzingis and began dribbling to the left side of the lane, with the Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo – the reigning NBA MVP and alleged winner of that award and Defender of the Year this season – watching him like a hawk.
Then, out of nowhere, Doncic – using his left hand (which doesn’t pull) – suddenly slipped the ball between his legs and over Antetokounmpo, into the hands of teammate Maxi Kleber, who took the ball in motion and, all with one movement, he leapt into the air and slammed the ball home – and it was immediately foul during the game, to begin with.
The game was the last of Doncic’s 19 assists, his career high, along with 36 points, 14 rebounds and just two turnovers in 42 minutes, as the Mavericks beat the Bucks 136-132 in extra time in the bubble. NBA at Walt Disney World Resort.
“I applauded,” said Mavericks manager Rick Carlisle. “I cheered. I thought it was phenomenal. The mark of a great player, a truly great player, is the ability to pull off something like this against a team like Milwaukee, who give up virtually nothing in the paint.
“We are seeing more and more things. Luka is not only a great basketball player, he is a great performer. I would pay the money to see him play.
Doncic certainly proved how special he is and can be tonight, going toe-to-toe with Antetokounmpo – who wasn’t a bit sloppy, finishing with 34 points and 13 rebounds in 33 minutes before messing up in extra time – and arriving on the top.
“It’s unbelievable,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s playing great basketball. He’s a great basketball player, he improves his teammates. Talent … really talented. One of the most talented guys I’ve ever played against.
“The whole team is improving and will continue to improve. As long as his team improves, it will be hard to beat.”
But all there was to talk about next was The Pass.
“With Luka,” Kleber said, “you must always expect to get a ride.”
“Incredible,” said Porzingis, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds before being fouled in extra time. “Not only how was the pass, but also in this moment of the match. To do it and have the – what a good word – have the courage to do it?
“That’s just who Luka is.”
The only person who didn’t have much to say about it was Doncic himself.
“I don’t know why I did it,” Doncic said. “I just did. I haven’t thought about it.
“I saw it, and I haven’t thought about it before right now.”
That play was just one of Doncic’s many both spectacular and critical moments during this match, including a couple of late regulation free throws to equalize the match and take down a float on possession after Kleber’s dunk to skip the match.
The fact that Dallas was able to close a game like this, particularly against a team as good as the league-leading Bucks, is something Carlisle was excited about afterwards, especially after the Mavericks had already beaten the fourth advantage. quarter against the Houston Rockets. and Phoenix Suns in the first two games inside the bubble.
“This is a game where the team has shown great resilience,” Carlisle said. “Many of the demons from our previous bubble games were staring us in the face.”
This time, however, the Mavericks succeeded where they failed before. And they did it because Doncic made sure to take them there.
The Mavericks have had the best bout in NBA history by offensive rating this season, and watching this game – against one of the best defenses in the league – it was easy to see why. Doncic cashed in the Bucks throughout the game, spraying pass after pass to perimeter shooters, most notably Dorian Finney-Smith, who was assisted in all six of his 3-pointers in the game by Doncic.
Doncic’s performance earned him his 17th triple double of the season – the highest in the NBA – and ensured he wouldn’t be caught in that category. This will make him the youngest player in NBA history to lead the championship in triple doubles, surpassing Magic Johnson – who was a couple of months older when he led the NBA with six triple-doubles in 1980-81, also his second. NBA season.
“As a guard with the ball in hand as much as he is, there is no one that jumps to my mind,” said Bucks manager Mike Budenholzer, when asked who reminds him of Doncic at this age. “I mean, Tim Duncan as a second year player was pretty amazing. Tim Duncan as a first year player, but they are built very differently. So there have been some great players in our league and they have done special things in their first. years or two, but with the ball in hand, as it is, doing the things he does is really impressive. “
Both Doncic and the Mavericks are far from finished products. He won’t turn 22 until 2021 – the same year Dallas hopes to get rich in free agency and attract another star, with a shortlist led by Antetokounmpo, to play alongside Doncic and Porzingis. But Doncic is good enough now that the Mavericks make the playoffs in his second season in the league – something that players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have not been able to do.
Nights like this – and games like Doncic’s passage to Kleber – are examples of why this is so.
“He knows where everyone is, not just on offense but on defense, and that’s the sign of a savant guy,” Carlisle said. “I played with Larry Bird. He saw everything like that. I had the privilege of coaching Jason Kidd. He could see everything like that. Luka is in the same mold.”
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