Dallas – Luka Doncic made a detour to the Detroit Pistons’ bench during a timeout with 7.1 seconds left in the Dallas Mavericks’ 111-105 victory on Monday night.
He approached Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen to offer some parting thoughts, interrupting the conversation that continued throughout the game.
At the end of the discussion, Doncic grinned. He certainly got the last word, scoring 53 points in his comeback from a short absence with a sprained left ankle to lead the Mavs to victory.
“I mean, he’s been chirping since the first quarter,” Doncic said after leading the NBA with his fourth 50-point performance of the season. From the first quarter he was chirping.I don’t want to say a word.I’m fine with that.It’s basketball.It definitely motivates me.”
Doncic glared at Allen after most baskets in the first quarter when the Mavs played offense in front of the Detroit bench and Doncic scored 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting. On several occasions, Doncic talked garbage to Allen while jogging in defense. It happened multiple times throughout the game as Doncic tied Dirk Nowitzki for the second-highest scoring performance in franchise history, following Doncic’s own 60-point outing in an overtime victory over the New York Knicks on December 27. I was.
“Nothing, nothing,” said Pistons coach Dwayne Casey. “We’ve seen worse things. Remember, I coached Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett to make sure there was zero chirping tonight. I loved it.” I love the way he plays, the way he conducts himself and the reaction of our staff.They weren’t scared.So it’s all good.It’s clean and what’s dirty There is no
“If that’s what he needs to motivate himself and talk to himself, then that’s good. But he doesn’t need any help. He’s a great player without everything else. But that is it.”
After missing one game with an ankle injury, Doncic was very efficient, going 17-of-24 from the floor, 5-of-11 from 3-point range, and 14-of-18 from 3-point range. He came off the only scoreless performance of his career, having been sidelined with an injury on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns with just 3 minutes and 21 seconds into the game.
“It’s not 100% of course, but it’s good,” Doncic said of the ankle. “Good job.”
According to an ESPN Stats & Information study, Doncic became only the fourth player in the past 50 years to record four 50-point performances by February, joining Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and James Harden in the feat three times. achieved.
Dallas needed a dominant performance by Doncic as the Mavs had to recover from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to win.
The Pistons frequently caught Doncic near half the court, took the ball off his hands, and kept him 3-run in the second quarter, but Dallas teammates said Detroit’s attention to MVP nominee was enough. I struggled to hit the open 3 pointer that was created.
“He was very unselfish in his double team,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. Once we started knocking them down, the defense picked up.”
The Mavs prioritized picking up the pace in the second half to prevent the Pistons from running a trap on Doncic. He dominated the quarter, scoring 18 points on five layups, off-dribbling fadeaways, and six free throws.
“Sometimes you have to take the press when they’re doubling,” said Doncic, who has eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. “If I wait, they’ll still double up. But sometimes they attack just before they go. And every time they attack the paint.”
“We’ve seen worse things. Remember, I coached Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett. We made sure there was zero chirping tonight. I loved it.” I think it really pushed us forward.It’s the way it should be with the competitive guys.”
Pistons coach Dwayne Casey discusses Luka Doncic’s trash talk
Dallas was within one point by the end of the third quarter. The Mavs took the lead while resting for his six minutes in the first, with Doncic acting as the closer and in his 4:01 of the final he scored eight points. He hit a dagger with his 46 seconds remaining and a free throw pivoted his fade away from his line and got a friendly bounce after hitting the front his rim, putting Doncic to his 50-point wall. exceeded.
It was Doncic’s fifth 50-pointer in his career and one more than any other Mavs combined in franchise history. According to an ESPN Stats & Information study, he is the only player in NBA history to achieve more of his 50-point performance under the age of 23 than Rick his Barry, and Doncic beats Wilt in that category. Chamberlain, LeBron he equaled James, Jordan.
“He’s tough,” Casey said. “He gets you inside with his body, scores, gets to the free-throw line. If he doesn’t, he backs up on threes. If he doesn’t have the right man, the right body , have to play like tonight.I thought we did the best job we could for someone else trying to beat you.We weren’t the first I did, and it won’t be the last.