Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic makes history in win over Wizards

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Washington Wizards 125-124 on Saturday night. It turned into a battle between Luka Doncic and Russell Westbrook. Both men were unbelievable as they attempted to lift their team to a crucial win in the playoff race. It was Doncic that grabbed the victory and his tenth triple-double of the season.

The win lifted the Mavericks to fifth in the Western Conference because they hold the tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas is still only one game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for seventh. The Mavs want to avoid the play-in tournament, so every game is massive down the stretch. For all the specifics on the play-in, fans can watch this short video.

Luka was the catalyst once again as Dallas picked up their 36th win of the season. Dorian Finney-Smith made the game-winner, but Doncic drew the double team to leave him wide open. Here is a closer look at the 22-year-old star’s performance on May 1.

Luka Doncic sets new career-high in Dallas Mavericks win over Wizards

Doncic started the game on fire. His playmaking chops were on full display as he dropped six dimes in the first quarter. See a beautiful no-look alley-oop from Luka below.

The 22-year-old even busted out a dunk on the Wizards on May 1. Fans do not want to miss this one.

Doncic accounted for 28 of the Mavericks’ 38 first quarter points as they built a 12-point lead. He was making plays all over the court and leading his team.

Washington made a comeback in the second period. The Mavericks were only up by five at halftime, but Luka had a career-high 11 first-half assists. He chipped in 20 points and six rebounds, but Russell Westbrook’s 23 points had the Wizards back in the game.

Washington came out in the second half and decided to double team every Doncic pick and roll. They were trying to get the ball out of his hands and make life more difficult on the Mavs superstar. It allowed Luka to set a new career-high with 20 assists in an incredible shootout including finding Dorian Finney-Smith for the game-winning shot.

Doncic finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 20 assists for his tenth triple-double of the season. He was 12 of 23 from the field as the Mavericks outscored the Wizards by six in his 39 minutes on the floor. It was an incredible win that lifted Dallas to fifth in the Western Conference.

Everyone stepped up with Luka drawing so much attention. Maxi Kleber had 17 points and connected on five 3-pointers. Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 16, including some key buckets in the fourth quarter. Dorian Finney-Smith had 22 points and the game-winner. The Mavericks shot 54.0 percent for the game, which allowed Doncic to set a new career-high in assists.

That was not the only history Luka made on May 1. See the tweet below from Mavs PR.

It was an incredible performance from the 22-year-old to lift Dallas to fifth in the West.

The Dallas Mavericks have no time to rest as the Sacramento Kings will be at the American Airlines Center on May 2. It will be enough key game in the tight Western Conference playoff race. Expect Luka Doncic to go off on Sunday night, so do not miss it.