Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) talk during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Luka Doncic was the target of double teams from the Phoenix Suns, but the Dallas star exploited them to create easy basket opportunities.
When the Suns positioned Doncic in one-on-one coverage, it got even worse.
Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 128-114 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Doncic scored 50 points, surpassing 10,000 for his career, and grabbed 15 rebounds.
Coach Jason Kidd of the Mavericks said, “He’s one of the best in the world.” We must not take him for granted, as I have always stated. You just want to get him the ball as much as you can when he’s feeling it.
Against the Suns, they certainly did, and Doncic made them pay for it.
Doncic put on a fantastic performance to end a Christmas Day packed with NBA games, making 8 of 16 three-pointers and all 12 of his free throws. In just 358 career games—the seventh-fastest in NBA history—he reached the milestone of 10,000 career points in the first quarter.
When Doncic exited double teams, the remaining Maverick players contributed as well.
In Dallas’ ninth consecutive game without Kyrie Irving (heel), Dereck Lively II scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds after missing four due to an ankle sprain. Tim Hardaway Jr. also scored 18 points.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 17-4 run and pulled away from there after allowing Phoenix to take the lead.
“I’m really happy because we won the game despite the 10K and 50 points being a tough road game,” Doncic remarked.
The Mavericks tried their best to contain Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, limiting their combined scoring to just 25 points.
Chimezie Metu and Grayson Allen, who have been a liability on the bench at times this season, gave the Suns a boost despite being surrounded by defenders the entire game.
In the third quarter, Allen scored eighteen points out of seventeen, making up 19 of his 32 points, which helped the Suns overcome a 15-point deficit. Although big man Jusuf Nurkic missed his second straight game due to personal reasons, Metu finished with a career-high 23 points and 19 rebounds.
The Suns are nine games behind.
Suns coach Frank Vogel stated, “We were taking the ball in the basket because we weren’t stopping them in the fourth.” “We were being hurt by double teaming Luka, and he was also hurting us when we weren’t doubling, so I think that threw us off a little offensively.”
Doncic is off to a scorching start in the desert, having just defeated San Antonio with a 39-point triple-double in his previous game.
He set Lively up for two easy baskets at the rim to welcome him back. After that, Doncic began to search for his shot. He led the Mavericks to a 36-24 lead in the first quarter with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
In the second quarter, Doncic made a step-back 3-pointer and assisted Derrick Jones Jr. on a spectacular alley-oop. Doncic led Dallas to a 64-54 halftime lead with 24 points and 8 assists.
For the majority of the first half, the Suns’ offensive execution was jumbled; beginning late in the first quarter, they missed 13 straight shots. Phoenix got to the line and made 12 of 14 free throws in the first half to keep Dallas within striking distance despite Metu’s 13 points.
After recording 20 points and 10 assists, Booker remarked, “I trust the players on this team.” “We were just missing them in the first half, but I’m throwing it to them every time.”
In the third quarter, the Suns improved their ball movement and used penetration to cut Dallas’ lead to 75-71. After Dallas’ Grant Williams grabbed Booker by the jersey late in the third quarter, Phoenix took the lead thanks to a 3-pointer from Allen.
Doncic’s special Christmas night was capped by the Mavericks, who used their big run to go up eight and extend it to fourteen on his runner in the final seconds, putting him at fifty points.
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