After securing a huge Christmas Day win, the Dallas Mavericks head back to Texas for their lone-game homestand. Preparing to host the Cleveland Cavaliers at the American Airlines Center, Jason Kidd’s team would require a healthy lineup to clinch their third straight win. However, following a gruelling, yet historic, performance against the Phoenix Suns, fans wonder whether or not Luka Doncic will suit up tonight.
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Having won four games out of their last five, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in great form. Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks will be facing them without some of their star players as they added quite a few names to their latest injury report. The likes of Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber, and Josh Green will certainly be missing out on the upcoming fixture. Whereas, Luka Doncic is listed to be “questionable” due to soreness in his left quad.
The Slovenian superstar has only missed out on two games this entire campaign. Doncic’s impact on the team can be highlighted by the fact that the Mavs suffered losses in both the games that he was sidelined – 108-94 against the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies and 122-96 against the Houston Rockets.
Luka Doncic had one of the best Christmas Day performances
With Kyrie Irving out, Luka Doncic has witnessed a huge chunk of the team’s offensive load on his shoulders. While many believed that the Phoenix Suns’ All-Star duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker would be too much for the Mavericks to handle, Doncic carried the team over the line.
Upsetting the Phoenix Suns at their home ground, the 6ft 7” guard recorded the only fourth 50-point game on Christmas Day. Apart from his 50-ball, the multiple-time All-Star also lodged 15 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.
Other than becoming the third player in NBA history to record 50+ points, 10+ assists, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ threes in a game, Doncic also put up his 10,000th NBA point on Monday night. While he takes the seventh-fewest games to reach the incredible milestone, the European sensation also becomes the fastest active player to do so.
Putting up 33.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game, Doncic will certainly jump up a few spots in the upcoming MVP ladder. More importantly, the Dallas Mavericks have an improved 18-12 record, sitting merely two games behind the #3 Oklahoma City Thunder.
