The Dallas star torn apart the Phoenix Suns’ double teams that attempted to contain Luka Doncic in order to create uncontested baskets.
The Suns’ decision to place Doncic in one-on-one coverage made matters worse.
Luka Doncic’s 15 assists and 50 points, which surpassed 10,000 for his career, propelled the Dallas Mavericks past the Phoenix Suns 128-114 on Monday night.
“He is among the best in the world,” said Jason Kidd, head coach of the Mavericks. “I have always maintained that we must not overlook him. “When he is in the zone, your only objective is to receive as many passes as possible with the ball.”
Against the Suns, they certainly did, and Doncic made them pay for it.
Doncic completed an NBA-packed Christmas Day with a magnificent performance, completing all 12 of his free throws and 8 of 16 from three-point range. In 358 career contests, he surpassed 10,000 career points in the first quarter, which is the seventh-fastest in NBA history to accomplish the feat.
As Doncic withdrew from double teams, the remaining Mavericks members contributed.
After missing four games due to an ankle complaint, Dereck Lively II finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 18 points in Dallas’ ninth consecutive game without Kyrie Irving (heel).
Dallas took the lead after Phoenix took the lead with a 17-4 run that began in the middle of the fourth quarter and continued from that point forward.
“That was a difficult road game, but we prevailed with the exception of 10K and 50 points,” Doncic said. “That makes me extremely happy.”
The Mavericks made every effort to restrict Kevin Durant and Devin Booker’s shooting by limiting them to a combined 25 attempts.
Grayson Allen and Chimezie Metu, who had spent the entire night encircled by defenders, provided a spark for the Suns off a bench that had been a weakness at times this season.
Allen, who assisted the Suns in overcoming a 15-point deficit, accumulated 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter and went 8 of 17 from 3. As Jusuf Nurkic missed his second consecutive game due to personal matters, Metu recorded 23 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
Nine of eleven games have been lost by the Suns.
“Since we were unable to halt them in the fourth quarter, we settled for putting the ball in the basket,” said Suns head coach Frank Vogel. “By double-teaming Luka, they were causing us harm, and when we weren’t doubling, he was also causing us harm; I believe that caused us to lose some of our offensive rhythm.”
In his most recent contest, Doncic recorded a triple-double of 39 points against San Antonio and got off to a fiery start in the desert.
In honor of Lively’s return, he assisted him in making two effortless baskets at the rim. Doncic then began to find his shot, giving the Mavericks a 36-24 lead in the first quarter with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Doncic returned in the second quarter and assisted Derrick Jones Jr. on an awe-inspiring alley-oop after making a step-back three-pointer. Doncic contributed eight assists and twenty-four points to give Dallas a 64-54 halftime lead.
The Suns struggled offensively for the majority of the first half, going down 13 consecutive shots beginning late in the period. Phoenix made it close to Dallas with 13 points off of Metu by converting 12 of 14 free throws in the opening half.
“I have faith in the other players on this team,” Booker, who finished with 20 points and 10 assists, said. “I throw it to them each time, but we simply missed them in the first half.”
In the third quarter, the Suns improved their ball movement by utilizing penetration to create open looks and reduce the lead of the Dallas Mavericks to 75-71. Phoenix seized the lead on Allen’s 3-pointer, and affairs escalated when Dallas’ Grant Williams grabbed Booker by the jersey in the final seconds of the third quarter.
The Mavericks extended an eight-point lead to fourteen with Doncic’s floater in the final seconds, which propelled him to fifty points and capped off a memorable Christmas evening for him.
