We left the Luka Doncic a little grumpy from being at the All-Star Game and found a Luka Doncic smiling at the release of a new capital performance. This night, he once again caused misery to the Suns to fuel the Texans' ongoing good series, the best in the league tied with that of the Celtics.
“ Seven wins in a row is great. It's always hard to come back from All-Star, the first game is always hard. We played against an incredible team, but we responded », displayed the Slovenian with a sense of duty accomplished.
Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie, Grayson Allen… The Suns sent an army of defenders against him, but nothing worked. The Mavs playing master has always found the solution, whether thanks to his formidable 3-point “step-back” or his physique and his rhythm which always allow him to find access to the circle.
While he had already passed 50 points to the Suns defense on Christmas Day, he followed that night with 41 points (14/27 on shots, including 6/11 from distance), 11 assists and 9 rebounds, for 49 evaluation! All while playing 38 minutes. “ Luka Doncic wants to play 48 minutes, but he can still do his stats in 30 minutes or less », smiles Jason Kidd, about his statistical glutton.
Progress in defense
A standard that will no longer surprise many people, except perhaps newcomers. “ He makes the game easy, he gets so much attention, a lot of two-man shots. He makes simple passes and basically everyone else can trigger. So yes, he’s a unique talent. Playing with him is definitely great for me so far “, discovers the newcomer PJ Washington again (12 points and 6 rebounds).
This night, the Slovenian combined perfectly with his chief lieutenant, Kyrie Irving, author of 29 points. On several sequences, the two men displayed complicity in the game, and during timeouts. At a press conference, Kevin Durant's former teammate was expeditious. “ Talk to Luka! », he advises the journalists before leaving the room.
A little more chatty than his partner, Luka Doncic focuses on another aspect that stands out from this match: the Dallas defense. “ She has improved a lot », He judges, pointing out to a journalist that he had intercepted four balls in the game. His personal defensive investment? “ My team needs it, this is what I do for the team. When they see me doing that, it gives everyone even more energy », he finishes.
| 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 | 47 | 38 | 49.2 | 37.5 | 77.7 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 9.5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 34.2 |
| Total | 377 | 35 | 46.9 | 34.4 | 74.4 | 1.0 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 28.4 | |
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.
