MY ACCOUNT
Luka Doncic was hoping to “put on a show” and did not disappoint as he helped the Dallas Mavericks seal a playoff spot with a 120-112 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Doncic put 35 points on the board as well as recording 13 assists and nine rebounds, narrowly missing out on a spectacular triple-double.
Dorian Finney-Smith also benefited greatly from the Slovenian star’s performance, claiming 28 points of his own.
There were a number of Slovenian fans in attendance at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, which Doncic claimed inspired his efforts in Cleveland on Wednesday.
“When all the people come to see you, you want to put on a show,” he said after the win.
The Mavericks trailed 67-61 at half-time but scored 17 more points than the Cavaliers in the third quarter to put themselves in a strong position.
Caris LeVert (32 points) and Darius Garland (25 points) impressed for the hosts, but Doncic’s domination secured the crucial win for Dallas, who move to 48-29 while Cleveland drop to 42-34.
Doncic has an average of 28.1 points per game this season, with only LeBron James (30.1), Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid (both 29.9) averaging a higher figure than that in the league, and he has scored more than 30 in each of his last three outings.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd noted the presence of the Slovenian fans, and praised the 23-year-old Doncic for his impact.
“We talked about there being a large Slovenian contingent in Cleveland on the plane,” Kidd said. “He wanted to put on a good show and came to work. He comes to work every night.
“He knew when to pass the ball and when to attack. Luka will have two [guys] on the ball and he trusts his team-mates to make plays.”
