LOS ANGELES Luka Doncic became just the 10th player in National Basketball Association (NBA) history with three 40-point triple-doubles, as he propelled the Dallas Mavericks to a 129-125 overtime triumph over the Nets in Brooklyn on Thursday.
The Slovenian star’s big night, which featured 41 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists – including a sumptuous no-look overhead pass for Maxi Kleber – saw the Mavs come out on top in a furious back-and-forth battle. Doncic also made 11 of 13 free-throw attempts and came up with three steals.
Nets coach Steve Nash was quoted by ESPN as saying: “He (Doncic) makes others better. He makes his teammates better. He makes plays for others – 14 assists, not to mention all the times he probably gets the hockey assist, so he puts an incredible amount of pressure (on teams).
“All they do over and over again is him in pick-and-roll, get a match-up and make a play, and that’s a lot of responsibility for him and he handles it almost every night.”
As an NBA All-Star and Dallas’ franchise player, the responsibility falls on the 23-year-old guard in clutch moments, but he showed that he trusts his teammates as well.
In the dying seconds of regulation time, with the scores tied, and the pressure on him to take a potentially game-winning shot, he recognised with the Nets defence closing on him that a wide-open Reggie Bullock was a better option.
Bullock missed but Doncic’s faith in his teammates never wavered as he set up three-point shots for Bullock, Tim Hardaway Jr and Kleber in overtime.
He scored or made assists in Dallas’ first 15 points of overtime, as the Mavs (2-2) lead by as many as nine points and handed the Nets (1-4) their second defeat in as many nights.
‘’Obviously, Luka is probably the best guy to make tough shots and make shots when they count but he also knows when to make the right basketball plays,’‘ Kleber said.
‘‘And especially when we came into overtime, they were like really aggressive with him and he made the right play, I don’t know, three or four times in a row. We just got hot and made all those shots.’‘
Hardaway added: ‘’We’re just trying to do the best we can to make his job a lot easier out there on the floor when he gives the ball up, and the only way you can do that is knock down shots and take them with confidence and make a play.”
Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 39 points, while Kevin Durant added 37 points. ‘’I felt like we did some good things tonight but it just wasn’t good enough,’‘ Irving said.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry saved 10 of his game-high 33 points for the final 5:32 of Thursday’s game, propelling the Golden State Warriors to a 123-110 victory over the Miami Heat in San Francisco..
Earlier, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City to a 118-110 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers. AFP, REUTERS
In other early action, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 118-110, their second victory over the Clippers in less than a week.
With Clippers star Kawhi Leonard sitting out to manage his return after he missed all of last season with a torn knee ligament, Los Angeles star Paul George was held to just 10 points by his former team.
Former Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 24 points and Luguentz Dort added 21 for OKC, who had beaten the Clippers on Tuesday.
Norman Powell paced the Clippers with 21 points and Reggie Jackson added 18, but Los Angeles dropped their third straight game. AFP, REUTERS
