Coming off a thriller against the defending champions Golden State Warriors, the Mavericks successfully defended their home court, with Luka Doncic having yet another sensational night. The Slovenian native had his 20th 40-point game now tied with Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki.
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23-year-old Luka Dončić ties Dirk Nowitzki for 2nd most 40-point games in Mavs franchise history (20)!
41 Points
14/27 Shooting
12 Assists
12 Rebounds
4 Steals
W pic.twitter.com/VvuqSWmZRu— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 30, 2022
Luka Magic had the home crowd entertained with this rematch from the 2022 WCF. Tim Hardaway Jr. had the best night of the season, going for 22 points. With Tuesday night’s win over Golden State, the Mavs were back at the +500 mark.
Going into the game, TNT analyst Charles Barkley stated how the Mavs would never win a championship, given their heavy reliance on Luka. According to the Suns veteran, it was high time the Mavs roster took some load off the 23-year-old.
Also read: Luka Doncic is Top-10 All-Time on This ‘24-Year-Olds’ List but is 4,000 Points Shy of LeBron James
Barkley drops the truth bomb on the Mavericks ever winning a championship, with Coach and Hall of Famer Jason Kidd hopefully listening.
Charles Barkley feels it’s time the supporting cast on the Mavericks roster steps up.
Unlike Tennis or Golf, Basketball is a team sport, and thus no matter how good an individual might be, he alone isn’t enough. Something that we have observed in the case of Mavericks over the years. While Luka has overcome his first-round postseason jinx, it isn’t enough to get to the ultimate stage.
During a recent segment of Inside the NBA, Barkley revealed how the Mavericks guard might have to change his game to accommodate others.
“He’s (Luka) gonna learn how to play without the ball like he’s a great player, but he’s gonna learn how to play without the ball, give it up more, he’s got to empower those other guys, who are waiting on him to do everything. It’s like those guys are, ‘Let’s see what Luka’s gonna do,’ no man, you’ll are in the NBA too, you’ll can play too, but they are never going to win a championship the way they play right now because it’s all Luka, all the time.”
Chuck: “[The Mavs] are never going to win a championship the way they play right now because it’s all Luka, all the time.” pic.twitter.com/dA9scidYe5
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 30, 2022
The Mavericks front office did make some changes this off-season post letting go of Jalen Brunson, and acquiring big men Christain Wood and JaVale McGee. Nevertheless, Luka seems to be having close to non-existent help on the offensive side of schemes.
Luka Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring.
The former ROTY is leading the league in points, averaging 33.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on an impressive 50.5% shooting from the field.
Most 40-point triple-doubles in a season before turning 25:
4 — Oscar Roberson (2x)
3 — Luka Doncic (This season)Luka has 62 games left. pic.twitter.com/QWqQcs0YbD
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 30, 2022
Nineteen games into the season, the Mavs guard has 14 games with at least 30 points. Etching new records on a nightly basis, Luka already finds his name among some of the greats. Nonetheless, even Michael Jordan needed a Scottie Pippen to win at the ultimate level.