Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Milwaukee Bucks behind the stellar jaw-dropping performance of the 21-year-old superstar.
When the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) conversation is triggered, the top names that pop up are Jordan, James, Bryant, and Wilt. That is in no particular order, as these names are always debated on. Nonetheless, these NBA superstars have, without a doubt, affected the game in more ways than one.
They have been and is, in Lebron’s case, the face of the NBA. They can also be considered as their era’s best-performing superstar on and off the court. As such, players like them come only once in a blue moon. Fortunately, the league could be seeing its next phase in Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic and the bubble
Doncic was on a tear before the season was abruptly stopped. Normally, players need extra time to get their legs to play at a high level. Luka didn’t need that, in the five games he’s played inside the bubble, he is averaging 33.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 11.6 assists per game.
LUKA IS DOING THIS IN THE CLUTCH 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uA5rCpjvKP
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 9, 2020
He and Kristaps Porzingis brought the Mavs to a clinched Playoffs spot in the Western Conference. However, it’s safe to say that without Luka, the Mavs could be in a tougher situation. Nonetheless, credits should still be given to the hard fighting Dallas Mavericks under Rick Carlisle.
The league still hasn’t seen the best of Luka yet. He still has plenty of room to improve on. If the Mavs can add one more star to the duo of Doncic and Kristaps, there’s no telling what havoc they can cause in the league.
Giannis was not the best player on the floor
In the game between the Mavs and Bucks, the reigning MVP and the front-runner candidate for the same award wasn’t the best player on the floor. Giannis had 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the game. These numbers are impressive. However, it is overshadowed by Luka’s career-high 19 assists along with 36 points and 14 rebounds.
THIS LUKA DIME 😱 pic.twitter.com/L94BcqX4zz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 9, 2020
No other player has had this set of stats in the league’s history, according to Zach Kram of The Ringer. Luka looked poised and control throughout the game. Except for one broken play with less than a minute left in the game, Doncic controlled the flow of the match.
The Mavericks are known to be blunderers of clutch time situations. They haven’t exactly been the best in that category. However, their match today against the league’s top-defending team proved their potential. Luka had the ball most of the time, but he made the right decisions every time down the line.
Play after play, Doncic broke down the defense of the Bucks and attacked the paint. Each time he’d collapse three guys on him, he’d make the right pass for a shot to sink. He did that without regard for his body despite not getting enough foul calls.
Image from HNB Media TV – Highlights & Sports/ YouTube thumbnail