Tag: luka doncic

Mavericks star Luka Doncic dealing with nerve problem in neck

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is dealing with a nerve problem in his neck, and it’s a huge issue for the squad. Via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

American Airlines Center has seen quite a turn. The unbridled joy and sheer hilarity of the first quarter of Friday night’s game has been replaced by a quiet and somber crowd following Sunday night’s Game 4 loss. The Mavs went from from being up 2-0 to being tied 2-2, and it’s not wrong to wonder when — and how — they might win another game in this series.

Sunday’s 106-81 loss provided the exclamation point but it was simply a continuation of a merciless onslaught that began in a 118-108 setback on Friday night when the Clippers rallied from an early 30-11 deficit to run away from Mavs.

The Mavs simply have no answers for Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the series heads back to Los Angeles for the critical Game 5 on Wednesday…

And with the Mavs’ all-star guard Luka Donic now playing in obvious pain with an injured neck, albeit valiantly, the Mavs don’t stand a chance.

Doncic led the Mavs with 19 points on Sunday but it was on 9-of-24 shooting. He also missed all five of his free throws.

The series is taking a few days off, with Game 5 not until Wednesday.

Nets win streak ends with loss to Mavs

With two of the Nets big three out, the Nets on Friday fell to a Mavericks squad that recently welcomed Kristaps Porzingis back to action. Via the NY Post:

The NBA’s longest winning streak ended Saturday with a thud, the sound of the red-hot Nets crashing back down from Cloud 9.

The Nets were undersized and undermanned, playing without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. But they aren’t using any of that an alibi for getting thrashed, 115-98, by Dallas at Barclays Center.

“No, this is a no-excuse team. If you’re on the floor, you’re going to play as hard as you can. They just got the best of us, and they got the win. That’s all it really was,” said Jeff Green, forced out of the game as well. “It’s not about us running out of gas or anything. We just didn’t come ready to play and they won.”

Not only did Irving’s scratch to rest his surgically repaired right shoulder pare the Big 3 down to a Big 1 in James Harden, the Nets also saw Tyler Johnson ruled out just before tipoff with a migraine and Green’s own shoulder injury removed him with 3:17 left in the third.

And the NY Daily News:

On one end of the floor, Luka Doncic spins off his man, drives down the lane and euro-steps around James Harden for the easy basket. On the other, Harden lulls his man to sleep, one flurry of crossovers after another, before stepping back for a contested three that borders on equal parts un-guardable and flat-out unfair.

Watching Doncic and Harden go toe-to-toe at Barclays Center on Saturday was like the viral meme of two Spidermen pointing at one another. Doncic finished with 27 points, seven assists and the victory, while Harden recorded 29 points and six assists in a superstar showdown that substantiated the similarities between the two offensive masterminds.

“Both of these guys are great one-on-one players,” Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said. “They’re great passers. They can both play the team movement game very well. Harden has been in a situation the last few years where the offense has really revolved around him, and our team it does around Luka similarly, but our style is a little bit different than Houston and Brooklyn, but both of these guys are generational type players. There’s no question about it, and that’s another thing that makes a game like this very compelling.”

In the Mavs win, supporting Doncic’s effort was Porzingis with 18 points, four rebounds, three blocks in 26 minutes, Tim Hardaway Jr. scoring 13 off the bench, Dorian Finney-Smith with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Josh Richardson with 11 points.

Luka Doncic named 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter

The NBA announced today that Mavericks guard Luka Dončić has been voted as a starter for the 70th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Sunday, March 7, at 7 p.m. CT on TNT.

Dončić (6-7, 230) is the first Maverick to be voted as a starter two consecutive seasons after starting the game last year. He is just the third Maverick to start an All-Star Game along with Dirk Nowitzki (2007, 2010) and Jason Kidd (1996). Kidd is the only other Dallas player voted in as a starter (Nowitzki started as a replacement for an injured starter twice). Dončić is the 32nd All-Star in franchise history and is the seventh Maverick to earn multiple All-Star nods.

Among league leaders, the 21-year-old Slovenian ranks fifth in scoring (29.1 ppg), third in assists (9.4 apg) and 18th in rebounding (8.6 rpg). Dončić co-leads the NBA in triple-doubles this season (7) and has recorded three 30-point triple-doubles.

Most recently, Dončić set a career scoring mark, pouring in 46 points vs. New Orleans (2/12/21), before recording a second straight 40-point game with 44 vs. Portland (2/14/21).

In January, Dončić averaged 28.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists. After averaging a 30-point triple-double in November 2019, Dončić is now the third player in NBA history to average 25-10-10 in multiple calendar months (min. 10 games), joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the 10 starters for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. All current NBA players and a media panel accounted for 25% each. Those voters completed one full ballot featuring two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference.

For the first time, the entire NBA All-Star celebration will take place on one night, with on-court action beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT. TNT’s coverage will begin at 4 p.m. CT with “TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax,” followed by the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge and MTN DEW® 3-Point Contest at 5:30 p.m. CT. Coverage of the 70th NBA All-Star Game will begin at 7 p.m. CT, with AT&T Slam Dunk taking place at halftime. The game will follow the same format as last year, with the teams competing to win each quarter and playing to a Final Target Score during the untimed fourth quarter.

2019-20 All-NBA teams announced

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James have been unanimously selected to the 2019-20 All-NBA First Team.

James has set the NBA record with his 16th All-NBA Team selection, which includes a record 13 selections to the First Team, two to the Second Team and one to the Third Team. He passed 15-time All-NBA Team selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.

Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and James both received All-NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots to finish with 500 points each. Named to the All-NBA Team for the fourth time, Antetokounmpo has earned his second First Team honor.

The 2019-20 All-NBA First Team also features Houston Rockets guard James Harden (474 points; 89 First Team votes), Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis (455 points; 79 First Team votes) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (416 points; 59 First Team votes).

Harden and Davis have been voted to the All-NBA First Team for the sixth and fourth time, respectively. Dončić is making his All-NBA Team debut in his second season. He is the first player selected to the All-NBA First Team in either his first or second season since Duncan in 1998-99. Dončić, 21, also becomes the sixth player named to the All-NBA First Team at age 21 or younger, joining Kevin Durant (2009-10), James (2005-06), Duncan (1997-98), Rick Barry (1965-66) and Max Zaslofsky (1946-47).

The 2019-20 All-NBA Second Team consists of LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (372 points), Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (311), Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (284), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (199) and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (168).

The 2019-20 All-NBA Third Team is composed of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (153 points), Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (147), Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (110), Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (61) and Rockets guard Russell Westbrook (56).

Siakam, Tatum and Simmons join Dončić as first-time selections to the All-NBA Team. Paul and Westbrook have been voted to the All-NBA Team for the ninth time each. Lillard and Leonard have earned their fifth and fourth All-NBA Team selections, respectively. This marks the third All-NBA Team honor for both Butler and Gobert and the second for Jokić.

The All-NBA Team was selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded five points for each vote to the All-NBA First Team, three points for each vote to the Second Team and one point for each vote to the Third Team. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position where they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.

The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the 2019-20 season restart, did not count toward voting for the All-NBA Team or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards.

Luka Doncic interview after Game 3 Mavs loss to Clippers

The Mavericks lost to the Clippers Friday, to fall down 1-2 in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Details on the game are here.

Below are Luka Doncic interview quotes from postgame:

On the play where he injured his ankle and his current pain level: “I don’t know how it happened but it’s not that bad. I had luck; it’s my left ankle, it’s not my right. It’s a little sprain. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

On trying to play after the injury and the decision to come out of the game: “I just wanted to get in. I know we still had a chance to win. I wanted to help my teammates. I could run a little bit but I couldn’t push off of my left leg. It was better to go out and let somebody [else] play.”

On whether he can play on Sunday: “I don’t know the answer to that. We’ll see tomorrow. I have an MRI tomorrow and then we’ll see. I think we’ll know more tomorrow.”

On whether he wanted to come back in as the Mavs cut the deficit to eight: “I want to go back in every time. We always have a chance — we have great players. They fought to come back to eight. I want to be with my team on the floor and watch the game to the end. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a win. But we fought.”

On if he thought he could finish the game: “I don’t think so. I could run but I couldn’t push off my left leg. We have great players, so it’s better to go with someone who can go 100 percent.”

On the play of Kawhi Leonard: “He’s always in the zone. He’s a top-three player in the league. It’s really tough to stop him. He’s an amazing player, amazing defender. It’s really hard to stop him. I think Maxi [Kleber] is doing an amazing job, DoeDoe [Dorian Finney-Smith], too. It’s just hard. He’s an amazing player.”

Clippers beat Mavericks 130-122, take 2-1 playoff series lead

On Friday, the Clippers beat the Mavericks 130-122 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Below are Mavs team notes on the loss:

Luka Doncic recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, making him the first player in franchise history to record a triple-double in the playoffs.

Doncic (21 years, 175 days) becomes the third-youngest player ever to record a triple-double in the playoffs (Magic Johnson, LeBron James). The sophomore guard left the game with a left ankle sprain midway through the fourth quarter.

Kristaps Porzingis finished tonight’s game with 34 points and 13 rebounds. Porzingis becomes the first player to record 30+ points and 10+ rebounds for Dallas in a playoff game since Dirk Nowitzki (34p-11r) in Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

Seth Curry came off the bench and scored a playoff career-high 22 points to go with 3 assists. Curry shot 9-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc. Curry’s previous high was 16, a mark he hit twice in the 2019 playoffs with Portland.

Tim Hardaway Jr. also scored a playoff career-high 22 points to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Hardaway Jr.’s previous high was 19 points, set with Atlanta (at Washington, 4/19/17).

Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, all of which were career playoff highs.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 37 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists tonight. The veteran is 3rd in the Playoffs thus far with 33.3 points per game, trailing only Utah’s Donovan Mitchell (35.7) and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic (33.5).

The Clippers saw seven players score in double figures tonight. Joining Leonard was Landry Shamet (18), Ivica Zubac (15), Marcus Morris Sr. (14), Montrezl Harrell (13), Paul George (11) and Lou Williams (10).

Stats and notes on Luka Doncic triple-doubles

 

 

 

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Mavericks second-year guard/forward Luka Doncic, who doesn’t turn 21 until 2/28/20, already owns the record for the most triple-doubles by a player before his 21st birthday in NBA history (15). He recorded eight as a rookie alone, breaking Magic Johnson’s previous such record of seven, which was set before the Mavericks franchise was even formed in 1980 (Johnson’s record had stood since 3/30/80).

Doncic’s eight triple-doubles in 2018-19 not only marked a Dallas rookie record (previous most: 4 by Jason Kidd in 1994-95), but also represented the third-most by any rookie in the history of the league (behind Oscar Robertson’s 26 in 1960-61 and Ben Simmons’ 12 in 2017-18).

His eight triple-doubles last year were also one off of Jason Kidd’s record for the most by a Maverick in any one season in franchise history (Kidd had 9 as a second-year player for Dallas in 1995-96).

Kidd holds the team-record for most triple-doubles with 21. After earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors last season, Doncic has picked up right where he left off. He has recorded five 30-point triple-doubles in 2019-20 and now has six for his career. It’s the most 30-point triple-doubles by a player before turning 21 in NBA history. In fact, LeBron James (2) is the only other player to produce multiple 30-point triple-doubles before his 21st birthday.

What’s more, Doncic has set franchise marks for most 30-point triple-doubles (6) and 20-point triple-doubles (13). He’s the only Maverick to record a 40-point triple-double (42 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists vs. San Antonio 11/18/19). Doncic and James are also the only two players in league history to produce a
40-point triple-double for their 21st birthday.

Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Doncic named NBA Players of the Week

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were named East and West NBA Players of the Week for gamesplayed from Monday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov 24, 2019.

And this is fun: It’s the first Players of the Week award for either player.

Dinwiddie led Brooklyn to a 3-1 record on the week, recording averages of 25.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.3 minutes per game. Dinwiddie began the week by totaling 28 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes in a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 18. He followed up that performance by leading Brooklyn to the first of a season-best three straight victories, registering 20 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 37 minutes in a 101-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 20. Dinwiddie then posted 23 points, seven assists and two steals in 28 minutes in a 116-97 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 22. The six-year NBA veteran rounded out the week by registering his second 30-point game of the season, totaling 30 points, four rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in 35 minutes in a 103-101 win at the New York Knicks on Nov. 24.

Doncic (6-7, 230) led the Mavericks to a perfect 4-0 week with averages of 37.0 points (.554 FG%, .444 3FG%, .788 FT%), 8.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game and victories over San Antonio (Nov. 18), Golden State (Nov. 20), Cleveland (Nov. 22) and Houston (Nov. 24). He posted at least 30 points and 10 assists in all four games, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (20 years, 269 days) to record four consecutive 30-point, 10-assist efforts (the previous youngest was Oscar Robertson at 22 years, 34 days). He also led all players outright in scoring all in four games and led the Mavericks outright in assists in all four.

Nice preseason debut for Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is one of the most intriguing NBA rookies in a while. And while preseason isn’t a time to make firm judgments about anyone, it’s still a good sign when a rookie comes out and does nice things right away.

In adding Doncic, the Mavs got a player who has already proven to be able to compete at a higher level than the best of college basketball. He’s one of the main rookies to keep a constant eye on, both now and at least for a solid first month of the regular season.

Here’s ESPN.com on how his career preseason debut went:

Luka Doncic’s performance in his preseason debut provided some glimpses of the unique skill that persuaded the Dallas Mavericks to trade up to draft the European teen star.

Doncic, the No. 3 pick in the draft, scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 30 minutes during a 116-63 victory Saturday night over the Beijing Ducks.

“It was great to be out there,” said Doncic, who also grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots. “It’s been a long time since I played a game, so I’m really happy to be here. Always the first game, you’re a little bit nervous — new team and everything. I think everything went well.”

The 6-foot-7 Doncic made a few dazzling plays off the dribble, something the Mavs are expecting on a consistent basis as he serves as one of their primary ball handlers despite playing mainly power forward.

Preseason stats aren’t that important. It’s about the skill level of a player and the potential to do big things at regular-season intensity.

One important note, though, is the opponent wasn’t competitive at all. The Mavs absolutely dominated the Beijing Ducks in a game that really wasn’t even at a preseason basketball level. We can’t hold that against Doncic, though. But the next step of course is an actual NBA opponent.

Still, a nice first showing.

In Dallas, all eyes on Luka Doncic

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on Mavs rookie Luka Doncic, who will have the attention of much of the basketball world, let alone the city of Dallas:

A leap of faith.

That’s what Mavericks fans are taking when it comes to prized draft pick Luka Doncic.

He’s 19 years old. He’s been a professional in Europe for four years. He’s been an MVP at that level.

And virtually nobody in Dallas knows anything about him.

All that fans can really do is bank on the wisdom of owner Mark Cuban, president Donnie Nelson and coach Rick Carlisle.

Even a lot of the Mavericks’ players have yet to get a pulse on how good Doncic can be. Though he technically came in a trade with Atlanta, he’s the highest-drafted rookie (third) the franchise has had since Jason Kidd was taken second in 1994. But Kidd was a more known commodity.

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