Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic drops 35 in loss to Thunder
By Tyler Watts
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic dropped 35 points, but it was not enough as the team fell to the Thunder on Dec. 31. Here is a look at his performance.
The Dallas Mavericks did not have the best New Year’s Eve. They were on the road against the surging Oklahoma City Thunder. The Mavs were also without Kristaps Porzingis (late scratch because of knee soreness) and Tim Hardaway Jr (hamstring). It was an uphill battle going in.
Ultimately, the Thunder walked away with a 106-101 victory on Tuesday evening. Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder led the way with 20 points each, but OKC used a balanced attack to thwart the Mavs.
Coach Carlisle relied heavily on Luka Doncic to keep the Mavericks in the game. He played 40 minutes and was one of only four Mavs with a positive plus/minus. Luka went off for 35 points, ten rebounds, seven assists, and one steal. That including hitting 12 of 29 from the field and eight of his 12 free throws.
Improve efficiency across the board likely means a Dallas victory. The Mavericks only had three players that scored double-digit points on Tuesday. Seth Curry had an off shooting night, and they struggled to find offense from other players. The Mavs shot just 35.5 percent for the entire game. They need to be more efficient in order to remain near the top of the Western Conference standings.
Let us take a closer look at the latest incredible performance from Luka Doncic in Oklahoma City.
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