After his 73 points against the Hawks, Luka Doncic continues with a new “masterclass”: 45 points, 15 assists and 9 rebounds against the Magic, in a victory (131-129) snatched in the last seconds. Former Mavericks assistant, Jamalh Mosley had come up with the ideal game plan to counter his former team, and at the break, his Magic led 77-61! Four points shy of a franchise record, while the Slovenian returned to the locker room after scoring a basket, after the siren, from his free-throw line. A sign for the second half to come?
At halftime, Jason Kidd let out a big shout, and Doncic, supported by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Derek Lively II, did the rest. “We had a very good discussion at the break. Luka did Luka. And we solved our problems” simply analyzes Kidd, while Doncic does not regret the pressure from his coach: “He had to do it. He had every reason to do it, and I’m glad he did it.”
Shock duo with Tim Hardaway Jr.
While Dallas will stop the Magic's attack in a zone, Doncic will effectively put his mark and his influence on the meeting, always with this mastery of the tempo, and this ability to magnetize the defenders. On a very big night, Tim Hardaway enjoyed his playing master's “drive-and-kick”.
“When Luka is hot, I know that teams will try to take him in two. It's not a secret “ recognizes Hardawayauthor of 36 points. “We learned the lesson from the last two matches. When a shot is open, you have to take it. When there is an interval in front of you, you have to take it. You just have to be aggressive. »
For Doncic, the task becomes very complicated for opponents when Hardaway is so skillful. “He doesn't force anything, he's aggressive and he takes shots… It's difficult to defend on us when he's on fire. We just turned to him, and we let him take his shots. »
Doncic plays way too much…
The Doncic-Hardaway duo will hurt even more in the last quarter. Between them, they will score 27 of their team's 35 points at the end of the match marked by ten changes of leaders! On arrival, Dallas won at the last minute, and Doncic was burned after a third match at 43 minutes or more. “It’s tough… Three matches in four days… I have to go home” he sighs, even though he hasn't come out for the entire second half.
