In the finale of five Christmas games this year, Mavericks ace Luka Dončić scored a season-high 50 points, becoming the fourth star in history to score 50 points in a Christmas game. With the ace showing off, the Mavericks scored 128: Defeated the Suns 114 and currently ranks fifth in the Western Conference.
The slight noise outside the court did not seem to change the Suns, and the sluggish situation continued.
In the finale of the 2023 Christmas Day game, the Suns faced the Mavericks at home. However, the Suns sent out two not-so-positive tidbits before the game. Eric Gordon first thought that his offensive ball rights should be increased, and then Kevin Durant reported that There is some “frustration” about the team’s current situation with only a 50% winning rate and poor performance. Regardless of whether these news are 100% true or not, it shows that the Suns, who have lost 8 of the 11 games before today’s game, are indeed in a slump.
As the star of the Mavericks, Luka Dončić has no reason to feel pity at this moment. Dončić has accumulated 9,989 points in his career before this game, and he is still challenging the milestone of 10,000 points in his career. This season, his scoring average ranks second in the league, second only to Joel Embiid. , did not keep the fans waiting for too long. With 4 minutes and 52 seconds left in the first quarter, Luka Dončić hit a super-large three-pointer, scoring his 9999th, 10000th and 10001st career points. It took 358 games to reach the goal, the seventh fastest in history, the first He scored 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first quarter, helping the Mavericks to take a double-digit lead early in the first quarter. The Suns did not improve significantly in the second quarter. The team’s shooting percentage in the first half was only 0.375. Fortunately, the team continued at the end of the second quarter. After several fast breaks, we were only ten points behind.
Number of games needed to score 10,000 career points Wilt Chamberlain 236 Michael Jordan 303 Elgin Baylor 315 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 319 Oscar Robertson 334 George Gervin 355 Bob McAdoo 358 Luka Dončić 358
Yilan changed the Suns’ formation after the war, replacing Drew Eubanks who took over as the starter today with Chimezie Metu, who performed better in the first half. At first, the Mavericks basically maintained the lead, and then finally relied on consecutive three-pointers from Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon. Starting to chase points, Metu finally got into the situation and scored consecutive points with his own mobility. At 3 minutes and 37 seconds, Allen intercepted and scored another three points. The Suns finally took the lead in this battle. The Mavericks relied on Dončić in the last minute of the third quarter. and Derrick Jones Jr. scored two consecutive three-pointers before catching up to a one-point deficit entering the fourth quarter. The Suns’ point-chasing offensive in the third quarter was all executed by the Green Leafs. Devin Booker and KD only had 5 points combined, but Allen scored 19 points on 5 of 7 three-pointers in a single quarter. Gordon scored 8 points, and Metu had 6 points and 6 rebounds. , to resist Dončić’s 14 points in a single quarter.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, KD scored 5 points with consecutive shots and free throws, but then Dončić took over the game. Either he pulled up a three-pointer by himself, or he found an opportunity created by his teammates after being double-teamed. In the third quarter DJJ, who was let go by the Suns for the entire quarter, finally hit an outside shot, which also affected the Suns’ defensive decision-making. Dereck Lively II and DJJ of the Mavericks each scored 8 points in a single quarter, and they supported Dončić competently. On the other hand, KD of the Suns stalled since then, and the team was quite disappointed in the third quarter. He also made 1 of 8 three-pointers in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks took a 19:7 lead and did not let the Suns get closer. However, after the Suns called timeout, Metu and KD had a continuous dispute. Mistakes, especially KD’s mistake in the last 1 minute and 34 seconds, allowed the Mavericks to score on a fast break, widening the gap between the two sides to 12 points, and the outcome was decided. Dončić made a throw in the last 29.5 seconds, accumulating his score to 50 points. He became the fourth player in NBA history to score 50 points on Christmas Day, and the Mavericks won 128:114 on the road.
Dončić showed off his power in the first and last two quarters, scoring 50 points, 6 rebounds and 14 assists. Derrick Jones Jr., who always seizes opportunities to sneak attacks, scored 23 points, the second-highest score this season and in the past four seasons. Rookie center Lively shot He scored 20 points and 10 rebounds with a high shooting percentage of 8 of 9. Tim Hardaway Jr. also had 18 points. The Suns had an explosive performance in the third quarter with Allen scoring a career-high 32 points and tying his career record with 8 three-pointers. However, they failed to win. Metu came off the bench to score 23 points and 19 rebounds. , both set career highs, but the two stars were relatively quiet. Booker scored 20 points and 10 assists, while KD only took 11 shots and scored 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
In the past Christmas games, former Knicks star Bernard King scored 60 points against the Nets in 1984, which was the only Christmas game in history in which an individual scored 60 points. Wilt Chamberlain’s 59 points in 1961 was second. Another player who can reach the 50-point mark on Christmas is Rick Barry, the former Warriors slasher who is also famous for his scoring. He played between the 1966 San Francisco Warriors (the predecessor of the Cash State Warriors) and the Cincinnati Royals (the predecessor of the current Sacramento Kings). Score 50 points. Today Dončić joined the “Christmas 50-point club”, tying Barry for the third-highest score in history.
Dončić said after the game: “I feel most comfortable to perform well in the fourth quarter. We played very well in the fourth quarter today and everything is on track.” Including this game, Dončić has broken through in 13 of the last 14 games. 30 points, 30 points and 10 assists in 8 games, including three big triples. After winning this game, the Mavericks continued to defeat the Spurs in the previous game and rebounded from the previous low point of losing four in five games. However, the Suns made matters worse. After swallowing the ninth defeat in the last 12 games, the record has become 14 wins and 15 losses. , the winning rate fell below 50%, failed to take advantage of the Warriors’ loss today, and still maintained the 11th ranking in the Western Conference. The outlook is very difficult.
Further reading:
“2023-24 Season Opening Analysis” Phoenix Suns—The only goal is the championship
“2023-24 Season Opening Analysis” Dallas Mavericks—the beginning of a new era
Dallas Mavericks: A journey after a surprising start to the season
Effects of a change of pace How did the Mavericks help Doncic speed up?
“Little Iron” is still not the best. Bradley Beal and Devin Booker reunite for the first time
Questions to be answered Suns’ training camp conundrum
[Editor Zhang Zhengbang]
2023-12-26 07:09:32
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