After missing two games with a sprained ankle, Mavericks star Luka Doncic was back against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, and he picked up where he left off.
He scored 24 points in the first quarter and had 34 points at the break and 45 after three quarters. Ultimately, Doncic finished the game with 53 points (17-24 FG, 5-11 3FG, 14-18 FT), eight rebounds, and five assists as the Mavs(27-25) defeated the Pistons(13-39) 111-105 at American Airlines Center.
Doncic’s 53 points is a team record for the most points in a regulation-length game. He’s back, but according to him, he’s not entirely healthy.
“It’s good,” he said. “It’s not 100%, but it’s good. I did some good work.”
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said Doncic and the team were connected in his return.
“I think we were connected,” Kidd said. “I think sometimes when someone comes back, you tend to wait. Spencer [Dinwiddie], after the last two games, was playing at a high level. I thought he was letting Luka dictate everything instead of just playing the game he was playing the last two [games]. Luka’s going to join the party; he’s too talented not to, the ball is going to find him.
Doncic handled the scoring load for the first three quarters, and Spencer Dinwiddie, who was the only Dallas player besides Doncic to score in double figures on Tuesday night, took over in the fourth. He had 10 of 12 points in the final stanza and gave Dallas their first lead in the fourth since the second quarter, which the Mavs never relinquished.
Doncic was impressed by the play of Dinwiddie.
“I mean, he’s an amazing player,” he said. “He needs to stay aggressive and play his game and get going. He’s an amazing player.”
Dallas gets back at it on Thursday night as they host the Pelicans.
Notes:
Doncic now has four games this season with 50-plus points, which leads the NBA (four players tied with two games). The Mavericks are 4-0 this season when he goes for 50-plus points. Doncic joined Kobe Bryant, James Harden (3x), and Michael Jordan as the only players to post four games with 50-plus points over the last 50 years.
Leave a Reply