Triple double by the Slovenian in the Mavs’ victory against the Warriors 116-113
Reaches the threshold of 20 games of the German with more than 40 points with Dallas
The Slovenian Luka Doncic signed a triple double of 41 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the Dallas Mavericks 116-113 win against the Golden State Warriors by Steph Curry, and equaled, at just 23 years of age, the German Dirk Nowitzki with 20 games with more than 40 points in the Texan franchise.
Doncic made the fifth triple double of his season and led the Mavericks to victory after four consecutive defeats, against the Warriors in which Steph Curry scored 32 points and offered an intense and spectacular duel with the Slovenian star of the mavs. At 23, Doncic matched a Mavericks legend in Nowitzki, who reached 40 points 20 times in his 21 seasons in Texas.. The Slovenian made it in his fourth year and is two games off the all-time record of Mark Aguirre, active in the 80s and 90s. He is joined by Tim Hardaway Jr, with his best game of the season. He contributed 22 points, with 5 3-pointers, while Spencer Dinwiddie was ejected for a flagrant foul early in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors recovered from 17 points, but were not up to par and could not reward the great performance of Curry, who finished with 32 points and 5 3-pointers. The defending champions had no hits from the line of three, just 11 for 25, and the second leading scorer was Jonathan Kuminga, with 14 points. Klay Thompson didn’t go beyond 5 points and missed the last three, which could force overtime.
Doncic and Curry trade notices
With Kemba Walker on the bench, signed on Tuesday following the termination of Argentinian Facundo Campazzo’s contract, the Mavericks got off to a good start, with a 12-2 run that went 23-6 when Maxi Kleber backed up two points on the board . Doncic already had 11 points and 6 rebounds after the first quarter and was close to a double-double at halftime, with 19 points and 8 rebounds, but the Warriors rallied after a rough first quarter and ramped up their defensive intensity to ahead at 51-50. Interestingly, the comeback has been fueled by rotations from Steve Kerr, with Donte Di Vincenzo setting the example with his defensive effort to limit the Mavericks. Steph Curry also lit up, arriving at the break with 16 points and with a balanced game (55-54 for Texans).
So, dominant
Doncic continued to ramp up early in the third quarter and hit two straight 3-pointers that allowed the Mavericks to take an eight-point margin again, but on the Warriors, Curry was quick to respond. With the match in balance, the tension increases and Spencer Dinwiddie, who had 14 points, ends up expelled for a sensational foul at the beginning of the fourth period. The Mavericks led 94-91, but the Warriors took advantage of that moment of nervousness to take a 100-96 lead with two dunks in a row, one by Kuminga, after a great steal by Di Vincenzo, and another by Jordan Poole. Doncic already sported a triple-double and continued to lead the Mavs by the hand with a three-point shot with 3.07 to play that snatched the cheers of the American Airlines Center for 108-104.
A new exchange opens, with Curry signing a tremendous triple for 110-108 and Hardaway connecting another shot from the arc for 111-110. The Mavericks went into the final minute three points clear and Curry had the tying ball, but made some passes.. Finney Smith’s 1-of-2 from the free-kick gave the defending champions one last chance. However, Klay Thompson’s three-pointer, released by Draymond Green, was parried across the rim and handed the Mavericks the win. The Warriors fell after three straight wins (tenth, 11-11), while the Mavs ended their four-game losing streak and now have a 10-10 record (ninth)..
