Klay Thompson reveals Luka Doncic's simple secret for nonstop dominance

The Dallas Mavericks had one of their most dominant offensive games of the year on Sunday night. The team scored a season-high 143 points, as Dallas and the Golden State Warriors combined for an NBA record 48 3-pointers. Dallas was an offensive machine, scoring 81 points at halftime. The Mavs collectively shot 59.8 percent overall and 51.2 percent from the 3-point line, and they seemingly couldn't miss.

Luka Doncic played a pivotal role in the team's offensive success. He tallied his 80th triple-double, finishing with 45 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. Doncic also shot 54.5 percent from 3-point range. Doncic's 45 points marked a season-high for the star. His defense also took a major leap. He tallied three steals and two blocks against the Warriors. Doncic's defense is essential to the Mavs' future success. The more excellent defensive performances he demonstrates, the higher the team's chances of winning are.

One thing that is clear though, is Doncic solidified himself in the MVP conversation. He has been playing some of his best basketball since returning from a wrist injury. Doncic is averaging 30.8 points per game and shooting 52.1 percent during December. He has scored above 30 points in four of the team's past six games.

Doncic's immense success is directly linked to playing at his own pace

Luka Doncic's high level of play has not gone unnoticed by his teammates. Newcomer Klay Thompson spoke about his teammates' success. He spoke of the amazement he has from watching Doncic and how his game basically speaks for itself.

Thompson elaborated on his new teammates' dominance after the win over the Warriors. He stated that Doncic, "never ceases to amaze," him. His compliment was that Doncic "never rushes" the game and "plays at his own pace" Thompson's biggest admiration of Doncic was saying that "it's an honor" to be playing alongside Doncic. This speaks volumes to the type of player Doncic is. Thompson has played with some of the best players in the league from Stephen Curry to Kevin Durant, and for him to praise Doncic means that he's up there with some of the best.

Former teammate Jalen Brunson spoke about Doncic's pace at the beginning of the season. He compared Doncic's style of play to a Snail in that he plays in a way that slows the game down but is magical in the way he plays. Brunson detailed a pickup game had with Doncic in his rookie year. He outlined how at times it felt like Doncic wasn't even trying, but a moment later "he's making a pass," or "doing a step-back and making it."

This is the exact thing that makes Doncic special. Critics often criticized him for being out of shape and even poked fun at him running up and down the court. However, it's simply his pacing that separates him from the rest of the league. He can control the game in a way that slows things down for everyone. Doncic does a great job reading the defenses and using his gravity to get others involved.

MVP Doncic is back. His high-scoring games and well-rounded shooting could spell trouble for the rest of the league. Technically, he has the sixth-highest points-per-game average this season. This isn't a bad place to be in, as Doncic struggled early in the year and dealt with various injuries.