Mavs snap Lakers’ 10-game win streak as Luka gets 27
LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic dribbled up to LeBron James, stepped back and coolly drained a 3pointer from well behind the line. The Dallas Mavericks’ driving force then threw a telling stare toward Dirk Nowitzki at courtside before he headed off to wrap up a major win.
When the Mavs visited Staples Center a year ago, Doncic was nervous before he faced his boyhood idol, and he sought an autographed jersey afterward.
Although the Slovenian youngster still admires the veteran star, Doncic is showing he belongs in the same galaxy.
Doncic scored 21 of his 27 points in a dynamic second half, and the Mavericks snapped the Los Angeles Lakers’ 10-game winning streak with a 114-100 victory Sunday.
Doncic also had 10 assists and nine rebounds in Dallas’ seventh victory in eight games. The Mavs erased a halftime deficit with a 28-5 run in an excellent third quarter led by Doncic, who had 16 points and five assists in the third after going 2 for 9 in a selfdescribed “awful” first half.
“It’s a great win that means a lot to us,” Doncic said. “It shows that we can play against big teams, too. We just need to keep it rolling.”
The Mavs comfortably maintained their big lead in the fourth, and Doncic provided some late showmanship by hitting that fourth 3-pointer over James and staring toward Nowitzki, who had center court seats.
“He hit a couple of hellacious shots,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s just a small handful of guys in the whole world that can hit them. LeBron James is one of them. He’s one of them. Those step-back 30-footers, it’s hard to describe how difficult the shot is, and how easy he makes it look.”