Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic fakes out Kyrie Irving in can’t miss play

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic gave fans a highlight against Kyrie Irving and the Celtics that is worth watching even days after the Mavs victory.

The Dallas Mavericks earned one of their best victories of the season on Nov. 24 against the Boston Celtics. They were without starting point guard Dennis Smith Jr. plus important bench pieces Dwight Powell and Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs still secured the 113-104 victory, though.

Both Harrison Barnes and J.J. Barea scored 20 points, but rookie Luka Doncic once again stole the show. Doncic played 31 minutes with 15 points, eight assists, three steals, three 3-pointers made, and one block. He also started as the point guard with DSJ out. The rookie’s strong game got the Mavericks back to .500, which is a crucial first step in their push for the playoffs.

The fake

Luka Doncic produced a play that is impossible to stop watching too. The Celtics tried matching up 6’3 All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving on Luka. Mavs center DeAndre Jordan gets the ball in the post and passes out to Doncic. Words may not do the rest of the play justice, so check it out below courtesy of the Mavs official Twitter.

Irving is one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA too. He ranked seventh in defensive win shares last season among classified point guards.

The play and victory over Boston may show the Mavericks that Doncic creates a massive advantage for the team when playing as their point guard. Think of the Philadelphia 76ers with Ben Simmons and how he uses his size to create matchup nightmares for the opposition. It will be interesting to see if Dallas attempts to use more lineups with Luka as the point guard this season.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic continues to impress in every game. The list of accomplishments in the 19-year-olds first 18 games is enough for its own article. He is averaging over 19 points per game with 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.4 3-pointers made, and 1.0 steal. Doncic is also shooting 39.6 percent on 3-pointers. All those numbers are impressive and that factor goes up when considering Luka’s age.

Doncic has the look of a future star, and Dallas Mavericks fans should be ecstatic that he is a member of their team. Expect to read plenty more about Luka Doncic on The Smoking Cuban this season, so stay tuned.