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“Luka Doncic really channeled his inner Kobe Bryant”: Slovenian MVP scores or assists in Dallas’ 46 points in the first-half, tying the entire Pelicans’ first-half score

Advait Jajodia
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“Luka Doncic really channeled his inner Kobe Bryant”: Slovenian MVP scores or assists in Dallas’ 46 points in the first-half, tying the entire Pelicans’ first-half score

Luka Doncic finished the first half with 22 points and 10 assists. The 46 first-half points he was responsible for was as much as the entire Pels’ first-half score.

On Wednesday night, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were hosted by a Brandon Ingram-led New Orleans Pelicans team at the Smoothie King Center. A contest that was pretty one-sided as soon as tip-off, ended with the Mavs grabbing a 139-107 blowout win.

It was a valiant effort by BI, putting up a game-high 29 points, along with 3 assists and 2 rebounds on an efficient 64.7/60/100 shooting splits. However, his big night was overshadowed by the Slovenian superstar. Luka recorded a 28-point, 14-assists double-double and finished the night with the highest +/- of +29.

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Following his incredible performance, Kristaps Porzingis had some huge compliments for his fellow European:

Luka was phenomenal tonight. He started off the game hot himself, and then he was sharing the ball. Our energy was there right from the beginning because we shared it. It was a chain reaction, starting from him, and we got great looks.”

Luka Doncic was responsible for 46 points in the first half, as many as the entire Pelicans’ team

Efficiency-wise, Wednesday night’s game had to be one of the best contests for the Mavs. The team set a franchise record by shooting 57/83 (68.7%) from the floor, recorded 41 points in the first quarter, and set a franchise record shooting 79.6% from the 2-point field goal.

After their efficient offensive outing, coach Jason Kidd was more than proud of his boys. During the postgame interview, he said:

“That’s pretty cool. To break a record like that with so many great offensive teams that the Dallas Mavs have had just shows the carryover and the response that this team has had after the last two outings. I thought everybody touched it. We got wide-open looks, that we’ve been getting, but they started to go down for us.”

Playing 18 minutes in the first half, Luka Doncic had 22 points and 10 assists, contributing to the team’s 46 out of 67 points. His 46 points contribution was the 2nd-most in a half in his young career and was as many as the entire Pelicans’ team ended up scoring.

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Luka Doncic has been absolutely phenomenal over the past few weeks. Over the last 5 games, the 22-year-old has been averaging a staggering 27 points, 10.8 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Mavs are now placed 4th in the West with an 11-9 record, being only 2.5 games behind 3rd seed Utah Jazz.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.

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