“ It's incredible. The way he talks to me is incredible. It's one of the best. It's a beautiful relationship. I'm happy, coming from Slovenia, to be able to play matches like that against LeBron. It is special. » Luka Doncic won't say nor on the nature of the comments exchanged with LeBron James, following the Mavs' victory over the Lakers.
But the moment shared between the two men demonstrates mutual respect. The Mavs superstar also left with the signed jersey of the best scorer of all time. This sequence ended the big battle between them, also arbitrated by the great performances of Anthony Davis (37 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (32), won by Doncic and the Mavs.
A few hours before the match, the Texan playing master had been added to the team's long list of injured players, notably due to lower back pain. “ I don't know how I played. I slept very little today. I ache all over. I'm getting old (smile), but we won two in a row, which is incredible, especially against a team like the Lakers. So I'm very proud of these guys “, displays the 24-year-oldwho didn't seem as “old” as he said.
Despite the physical glitches and constant double-takes from the opposing defense, he still delivered a remarkable performance with 33 points (12/28 on shots including 3/10 from distance), 17 assists, including a marvel towards Dante Exum, and 6 rebounds. A little better statistically than the 38-year-old “King” (33 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds).
Luka Doncic's playing time explodes
It was his eighth consecutive game with 30 points or more, but also his third game in a row with 40 minutes played or more, which he had not experienced since the 2021 playoffs. Last night, he played 43 minutes, including 23 of the first 24 minutes of the game, before resting a little in the third quarter.
Since the start of the season, the Slovenian has had the 6th longest time in the league, with just under 37 minutes each evening. But in December, he flies above everyone with 41 minutes on average. Obviously, it wears out…
But Jason Kidd is forced to use him as much due to multiple absences: Kyrie Irving (heel) missed the last two games, Derrick Jones Jr. (quadriceps) was injured in Memphis, Maxi Kleber (toe) and Josh Green (elbow) are still missing…
“ He has to learn to rest in attack when caught in a two-man situation, and that's what he's doing. », suggests his coach, who would rather not have to play it as much. He considers that his player must be seriously considered for the MVP trophy. This kind of big match and the Mavs' 3rd place (15v-8d) in the West speak in its favor. Is Doncic thinking about it himself? “ Of course, who wouldn't want to be a league MVP? But the priority is obviously the title. »
| Luka Doncic | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 72 | 32 | 42.7 | 32.7 | 71.3 | 1.2 | 6.6 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 21.2 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 61 | 34 | 46.3 | 31.6 | 75.8 | 1.3 | 8.1 | 9.4 | 8.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 0.2 | 28.8 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 66 | 34 | 47.9 | 35.0 | 73.0 | 0.8 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 27.7 |
| 2021-22 | DAL | 65 | 35 | 45.7 | 35.3 | 74.4 | 0.9 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 28.4 |
| 2022-23 | DAL | 66 | 36 | 49.6 | 34.2 | 74.2 | 0.8 | 7.8 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 32.4 |
| 2023-24 | DAL | 21 | 36 | 48.5 | 38.8 | 77.8 | 0.7 | 7.7 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 0.6 | 32.0 |
| Total | 351 | 34 | 46.7 | 34.2 | 74.1 | 1.0 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 27.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
