Is there any way to put brakes on Luka Doncic? In terms of winning, teams have an answer, however, he has been scoring at will. Tonight he put up 44 points without a single turnover.
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Oh, and by the way, he is leading the league in scoring. What’s the average over a 6-game span? An eye-popping 36.7 points per game! And funnily enough, he is also averaging 36.7 minutes per game.
And tonight, with his 44 he became the first player in over 36 years to score 30 points in the first six games of the season since Michael Jordan did the same in 1986. Coincidentally, MJ averaged over 37 points per game during that season!
Luka Doncic is the first player to score 30+ PTS in each of the first six games of the season since Michael Jordan in 1986. pic.twitter.com/UXgMsO13me
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 31, 2022
Luka Doncic: The man on a mission and he is emulating Michael Jordan
Luka might not have the same scoring prowess as His Airness but who’s to say he won’t continue scoring at will? Tonight’s performance and particularly the feat of matching Jordan came by half-time. He had 30 points and 3 assists at the half.
Luka Doncic is on FIRE in the first half vs. the Magic 🔥
30 PTS
12-17 FG
3 AST pic.twitter.com/Xw4sZX7VN5— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 31, 2022
He also had a stunning quarter against the Grizzlies a few days ago. How many did he score? 2o. In a quarter.
Mavericks lead the Grizzlies 39-17 at the end of 1…
Luka Doncic drops 21 in a special 1st quarter as he scored or assisted on the 1st 20 points of the game for the Mavericks #MFFL
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) October 23, 2022
Tonight, he had zero turnovers and the Mavs are showing signs of life. But the pulse needs to be consistent and despite Doncic’s red-hot streak, he still has a massive flaw in his game.
Luka Dončić (44 points, 0 turnovers) became only the second player in franchise history to record a game with 40+ points and 0 turnovers.
Dirk Nowitzki (3x) is the only other Maverick to achieve the feat. pic.twitter.com/pDCTbVuhCl
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) October 31, 2022
Also read: Luka Doncic Breaks a Tie With Wilt Chamberlain for the 5th Most Triple-Doubles in NBA History
NBA Scoring leader despite shooting abysmally from 3
The NBA’s scoring leader is putting up video game numbers. While the sample size is small, there is a trend developing that is even more worrying than the scoring.
Luka Dončić through the first six games:
36.7 PPG (50.3 FG%)
9.5 RPG
8.7 APG pic.twitter.com/ZvkHS2Mkfp— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) October 31, 2022
His 3-point percentage is at a lowly 22.6! Yes, Luka is making only 1/5 of shots from downtown. Worrisome for the Mavs? Definitely.
It was extremely evident against the Thunder just one night ago. He failed to make crucial 3s and it will be something he has to improve.
While it may seem like criticism, we think it is pertinent. Doncic can go up another gear and for all the right reasons, he should. Dallas might as well go and win it all this season. Why wait?