Los Angeles (USA), Nov 24 (EFE) .- Luka Doncic had only missed three games due to knee and ankle problems in his left leg, but after returning on Tuesday in the victory of the Dallas Mavericks against the Los Angeles Clippers (104-112) said he had “missed basketball.”
“I am very happy to be back. I have missed basketball even though I know it was only three games,” he told the media.
Doncic stroked the triple-double with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists and was key for the Mavericks to break their three-game losing streak – the same ones that the Slovenian had missed through injury – in a great away win against the Clippers after overtime.
Along with Doncic, the hero of the Dallas team was Kristaps Porzingis with 30 points, 6 of them crucial in overtime.
The Mavericks had to sweat until the end as Paul George forced extra time with an extraordinary 3 from the corner and over the horn.
The meeting was very intense, exciting and contested until the end, a hallmark of the recent confrontations between these two teams that have met in the last two playoffs (in both heats the Clippers prevailed).
“It is a very important victory. In the end, in this league it is difficult to win and I think we did a very good job today and that we deserved the victory,” said Doncic.
The point guard admitted with a smile that he was “tired” after his first post-injury game, but said winning the win “was the only thing that mattered.”
He also stressed that he really wanted to play this game since his father was in the audience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
For his part, his teammate Porzingis was also delighted that Doncic has returned to the court and drew attention to what his return means for the Mavericks.
“We are happy to have him back. He takes a lot of pressure off everyone in the team,” said the center.
“I really enjoy playing with him because he makes my job much easier. It makes a big difference for us to have him there,” he added. EFE
dvp / ea
.
