Luka Doncic and the Mavericks falter down the stretch in loss to Nuggets

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic failed to score in the fourth quarter as the Denver Nuggets earned a comeback win on Jan. 8.

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening. It was the fourth of a six-game homestand. The Mavs were playing without Kristaps Porzingis for the fifth straight contest but were still favored to beat the Nuggets in Dallas.

Luka Doncic had another monster performance, but it was not enough. The Nuggets secured a 107-106 victory on a late bucket by Nikola Jokic. The Joker was unguardable all night as he dropped 33 points, six rebounds, and seven dimes against the Mavs.  Denver had starters Paul Millsap and Will Barton sidelined for Wednesday’s game as well.

Luka Doncic narrowly missed his 12th triple-double of the season. He finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, ten assists, and one 3-pointer made in 37 minutes of action. Here is a look at the 20-year-old’s performance.

First quarter

Doncic got the ball rolling early as he found Tim Hardaway Jr. for the first points on the game.

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1215073440643850252

It was a strong opening quarter for Luka punctuated by this step back 3-pointer.

He finished with nine points, three rebounds, and four assists after playing the entire 12 minutes. Doncic was getting to the rim and making life difficult on the Nuggets by mixing in his playmaking. The Mavericks held a 32-27 lead after the first quarter.

It was only the beginning for Luka Doncic. He continued his stellar play after a spell on the bench to begin the second quarter.

Next: Second and third