Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic returns to score 21 against Portland

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic returned after missing one game with a hip strain to score 21 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 4.

Dallas Mavericks rookie and leading scorer Luka Doncic returned with a flourish on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Doncic missed the Dec. 2 game versus the Clippers with a right hip strain, but the rookie did not look impacted on Tuesday evening.

Luka was his usual self. He played 32 minutes and produced 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two 3-pointers made, and three turnovers. Doncic was six of 14 from the field and made seven of his nine free throws.

He did not start with a flourish, but Doncic had 14 second half points to help the Mavericks ice the game. Luka drilled a 3-pointer with just over a minute to go that pushed the Mavs lead to nine. It was a beautiful step-back from Doncic that fans can enjoy again below courtesy of the Mavericks official Twitter.

Highlight of the night

Luka Doncic’s best play of the game against Portland happened on a second quarter post-up. He caught Nik Stauskas guarding him and got to the rim for an easy deuce. The footwork and magic from Luka was put on display, though. See it here via the Mavs Twitter.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks leading scorer Luka Doncic returned after missing one game and immediately dropped 21 points on the Portland Trail Blazers. That ran the Mavs home winning streak to seven games and continued a stretch of dominate play overall. Dallas is 12-10 and currently seventh in the West, in large part thanks to Doncic.

The 19-year-old has now scored over 20 points in 11 of his 21 games in the NBA. That is almost unheard of for a player under 20. Luka is averaging 18.6 points per game on the season. He is the definitive favorite to win Rookie of the Year and continues to impress at every turn.

The Dallas Mavericks are facing the second of a back-to-back tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be interesting to see how Luka Doncic responds playing two nights in a row as he recovers from a hip injury. Keep an eye on Wonder Boy during the Dec. 5 contest.