On Sunday night in Houston, two of the hottest teams in the NBA squared off as the Dallas Mavericks battled the Rockets.
Houston came in riding an 11-game winning streak, while the Mavs had won six in a row.
However, this game was about the play of Luka Doncic.
The five-time All-Star put on another special performance and started the game on fire. In the first quarter, he scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out four assists. He was the first player to have such a stat line in a quarter since the 1996-97 season.
Doncic finished the night with 47 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Dallas led by as many as 29 points and defeated the Rockets 125-107.
The Mavericks (45-29) have now won seven straight and 11 of their last 12; they’re tied with the Pelicans for the fifth seed in the Western Conference and are two games behind the Clippers (47-29) for the fourth spot.
Back to Doncic, he also finished the night with a career-high tying nine threes as Dallas made a season-high 24 threes.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd said Doncic set the tone for the team and showed why he’s one of the best in the NBA.
“As our leader, he came out and set the tone for us offensively, but I thought, not just Luka, but the group was ready,” Kidd said. “He came out and showed why he’s one of the best players in the world.”
The way Dallas is playing right now, Doncic is an MVP candidate.
He is averaging a league-high (career-high) 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds (15th in the NBA), a career-high 9.8 assists (second in the NBA), and a career-high 1.5 steals (seventh in the NBA).
Recently, Doncic said this was his best season in the NBA, and after their win over the Rockets, he explained why.
“I think a lot of things,” he said. “I think the most important is maturity. I’ve been in the league for five years now. Just understanding the game, learning the game, and maturity.”
The Mavs, who are 4-0 on their current five-game road trip, finish off the trip in San Francisco against the Warriors on Tuesday night.
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