DALLAS: Luka Doncic hasn’t had many reasons to flash his infectious smile lately. He strongly believes in the professional advantages of enjoying basketball, but this is hard to do when the Dallas Mavericks had lost 10 of their previous 13 games, as was the case when he showed up for work Saturday night at the American Airlines Center. .
Assist Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to regain Doncic’s joy. Even in an empty setting, there’s nothing that electrifies an NBA atmosphere, like Curry’s kitchen. Undoubtedly, this was the case on Saturday, with Curry coming out of the 11 to 19 in the 3-point range and making a shot of fools, of this type that make you gossip out loud, up to 57 points.
Doncic happily accepted Curry’s spectacular performance as a challenge. He responded with an outing that reminded a national television audience why this 21-year-old entered the season with the weight of MVP expectations, equaling his career with 42 points and getting 11 assists to lead Dallas to an exciting and desperately needed – 134-132 victory.
“Viously, obviously, going against Steph is fun,” Doncic said. “I have to have more fun playing the game to be who I was before. I just enjoyed the game again.”
If you didn’t like this game, basketball is probably not the sport for you. Or maybe you’re just a bitter soul. How about explaining if you don’t smile when you see Curry do an exaggerated shoulder to the half-track logo after you’ve exhausted the transition? How can you not appreciate the artistic beauty of the best shooter in NBA history dancing with his dribble before slipping 30 feet back with his hand on his face?
“What Steph does is amazing,” Doncic said. “I just think every shot will come in when you shoot it. It’s amazing his way of playing, and it’s fun to watch, even if you’re on the opposing team.”
As Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Curry: “He’s one of the guys who would pay a lot of money to watch him play.”
Doncic, who only tracks Curry among the guards in the All-Star early voting, is definitely another player who fits that category. It’s not just Doncic’s ability to fill in the box office scores (he now has the six 40-point performances and 10 assists in the franchise’s history, for example) and create highlights that make it worth buying a ticket or , at least turn on the TV to watch. He’s currently an artist with a weird twist, something he has in common with NBA legends that Carlisle had seen up close before.
“The basketball floor is his stage,” Carlisle said of Doncic. “Guys like him, and I was around [Larry] Bird; I was around Reggie Miller: When there’s another type of other team that increases their game to the level that Curry had, it feels like an obligation if it’s that kind of player. I saw Bird do it; I saw Miller do it.
“You just dig deeper. You find a way to try to match the man and try to match him with your team. And that’s exactly what he did.”
So he never allowed Curry to take complete control of the game. No doubt there were stretches when Curry was unstoppable, but Doncic continued to respond. Case study: the last 90 seconds of the second quarter, when Curry closed his 30-point half with a cut disposition and a pair of long 3s and Doncic got a 3 sandwich for a pair of beautiful floats, giving the Mavs a eight. point of advantage at rest.
Doncic, one of the league’s most powerful gunners with a lower percentage, fired Saturday night as a Splash Brother. It was 7 of 12 in the 3-point range. And it was improving as the stakes increased, getting 3 of 5 3 in the fourth quarter as the Mavs kept the Warriors at bay, the biggest giving Dallas a seven-point lead with 44.5 seconds.
“His eyes lit up a little,” Curry said. “He made some important shots tonight.”
Of course, a seven-point lead isn’t safe with Curry in suck-suck mode. Curry reduced the Mavs ’lead to four points just seconds later, eliminating a 3 to a Draymond Green entry (a points center that had its second consecutive 15-assist performance and that too it is a pleasure to see it). Then, all of a sudden, it was a one-point match, after Curry danced and threw himself into the lane to make an and-1 put with 28.6 seconds left.
Imagine the pressure the Mavs felt at the time, as they lost 12 consecutive single-possession games, the third-longest streak in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Noteworthy is this streak, which only included regular season games. You probably remember that Doncic put the exclamation points on a playoff masterpiece by hitting a step back to beat the overtime bell in Dallas ’fourth-game win over the LA Clippers last season. Doncic had a 43-point triple-double that night, when it was questionable due to an ankle sprain suffered about 36 hours earlier; it was a performance that removed any doubt that the youngster belonged to the discussion about the best in the league.
Back in Saturday night’s crisis, the Warriors decided they weren’t going to let Doncic seal that game by scoring, sending him a double team 30 feet from the hoop while the shot clock was ticking. Doncic accepted the challenge taking advantage of the tactics, delivering a rebound to Maxi Kleber, who was left alone in the corner and hit the dagger 3.
“It’s very polished,” Curry said, tilting his cap toward Doncic. “He’s proven it since his freshman year, and he’s improved. And who knows how high the ceiling is for him?”
It will be fun to find out.