As in Memphis, the “one-two punch” of the Nets will not have been enough… As in Memphis, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving exceeded 35 points each, but it is insufficient when there is an alien in the camp opposite. This time it wasn’t Ja Morant but Luka Doncicanother candidate for the MVP trophy.
The brilliant rear of Dalla signs his first triple-double of the season with 41 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, and he quickly made people forget his missed “game winner” against the Pelicans. Moreover, at the end of the 4th quarter, he (quite rightly) preferred to serve Reggie Bullock for the winning shot. Missed… But this confidence in his teammates will make the difference in extra time. It is still him who will serve Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and again Bullock, for three 3-point shots in a row in one minute. Brooklyn will not recover.
“It’s clear that Luka is arguably the best at getting tough shots and decisive shots, but he also knows how to make the right moves when needed.” emphasizes Kleber. “He knows when to shoot and when to make others shoot. Each time, he simply does the right thing. »
Asked about this beautiful tribute from his teammate, Doncic confirms that he always tries to do the right thing. ” But I don’t always succeed… he admits.
Among the good gestures of the evening, there is of course this pass behind the head for Kleber precisely. Doncic is pinched in the racket, with Ben Simmons on his back. But he has eyes in the back of his head, and he serves the German for a ready-made lay-up.
“Sometimes we do stupid things in training, and sometimes in matches, it works”
“It was a ridiculous pass” laughs Kleber. “I don’t know how he saw that, as I’ve been playing with Luka for a while, I thought he might see that pass. I saw players helping on him, and I prepared just in case. And the pass has arrived! Frankly, I don’t know how he saw me. You have to ask him. »
Precisely, how does Doncic manage to make such passes? ” Frankly, I don’t know… It’s hard to explain. I don’t really have an answer to that. I would say that I try things, that’s all. Sometimes we do stupid things in training, and sometimes in matches, it works. »
Former leader of genius, Steve Nash has nothing but admiration for his evening tormentor. ” He makes others better. He gets others to play. He gives 14 assists, but we forget his “hockey assist” (pass before the assist), which puts incredible pressure on defenses. All they do with him is pick-and-roll again and again, and that’s a lot of responsibility for him, and he handles that pretty much every night. »
| Luka Doncic | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 | 3 | 34 | 50.0 | 25.0 | 87.0 | 1.7 | 7.3 | 9.0 | 7.7 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 34.7 |
| Total | 267 | 34 | 45.8 | 33.6 | 73.9 | 1.0 | 7.5 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 0.4 | 26.5 | |
