Time will tell, Luka Magic strikes again: Doncic drains game-winning 3-point floater to give Mavs crucial win over Grizzlies, Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. The Mavs stubbornly remain the seventh seed in the West after refusing to take advantage of Oklahoma City, Houston and San Antonio. Doncic’s game and lethal use of the step-back jumper has drawn heavy comparisons to Houston superstar James Harden, but a salivating match-up between Doncic and Harden will have to wait. I ain't giving that step-back 3 up.'". And what if you try to come back? • Clippers at 76ers, 7 p.m. on ESPN Doncic is a master at creating angles in the traffic around the basket, using a blend of deception and brute force, and has a soft touch on floaters and other finishes. But Allen would push the limits as far as possible. The biggest difference in his favor: His 3-point percentage — far below average last season at 31.6% — is up to 36.4%, and that’s after going 2 for 21 in December. "I can spell my first foul and set the tone and say, this is how I'm playing tonight, so he can know when and what not to call with me being physical," Allen says. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas. Bowen cites the dagger floater Doncic hit after beating Paul George in the Mavs' March 17 win over the LA Clippers. "Because he's that good," Bowen says. This is how I play! Try to be physical? "Even though he's not a player that's rushed, I'm going to pick you up full court as much as possible and make you work -- turn, turn, turn, turn -- so that you're not having a fresh mindset when it comes to attacking in the half court," Bowen says. All-Star guard Luka Doncic sat out the Dallas Mavericks’ game against Indiana on Friday night because of tightness in his lower back. Doncic just as quickly erased it all in front of the 3,300 fans at American Airlines Center to send the Mavericks (15-15) back to .500 for the first time since Jan. 22. Also, Portland is just a game ahead of Dallas in the West, yet Lillard has 283 points to Luka’s 28 in the straw poll. Couldn’t be because Luka made the All-Star first team based on the fan vote, and Lillard didn’t, could it? He'd often be especially aggressive offensively when matched up against superstars, wanting to make them work at that end of the floor. Doncic is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 28.6 points per … He's not so sure how he would have fared trying to disrupt Doncic as a pick-and-roll operator -- if solid screens were set. When is Luka Doncic coming back. LUKA DONCIC HITS the brakes, changes directions with a behind-the-back dribble, then picks up the ball and steps back to his left before launching a 3-pointer. Take a bow, Luka Doncic. "I'm not going to lie to you, [defending him] would have been tough. Rick Carlisle said he explained to the Unicorn after the Rockets game that because opponents put such good defenders on him, the Mavs look for guys guarded by easier marks. I'm First-Team All-Defense! I can give you what you're going to take, because you're cold. Frankly, I have to tell you, the fact that Luka and Porzingis have yet to smooth out the rough spots is my biggest whiff since the time I took three cuts on the first tee at Memorial Park in Houston. The Luka Magic Show is back on stage Friday night when the Dallas Mavericks host the New York Knicks. There's no dancing this time. A lot of times, guys didn't really want to set screens, and if you're passing to the screener, you're risking turnovers.". Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. "You can't get discouraged with prolific players. Luka Doncic is already one of the best players in the NBA. ‘XVII IX MMXVII‘ which stands for 27:9:2017 i.e. Sandiford-Artest was much more than a defensive specialist, averaging 18 points per game during a seven-season span in the prime of his career. "It's not something comfortable. That's how good you is, because you're Luka Doncic. Secondly, now you've got to match that energy with that respect to make sure that you are doing what's necessary when it comes to following the game plan. Doncic went 6-for-11 in those situations in 2018-19, 3-for-13 last season and 2-for-5 through the first 30 games of 2020-21. You're going to have to do everything to that right side. The sports world is still buzzing about that “are you kidding me” over the river and through the woods horizontally-challenged, parallel to the ground three-pointer that Luka Doncic hurled in at the buzzer to stun the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Is Luka Doncic getting short shrift as an MVP candidate? Probably figured, if he’s really the MVP favorite, the Mavs ought to do better than another seventh seed. No Porzingis. Meaning: This tattoo is Luka’s dedication and tribute to the year when he and his team (Slovenia) won the God EuroBasket in the year 2017. Because I think you’d get an argument from LeBron James, who uses an awful lot of exclamation points on Luka tweets these days. That's how much respect Allen has for Doncic's step-back 3. Even if they can make legitimate excuses because of their unparalleled pandemic problems, it doesn’t change the fact that SportsDay’s panel of so-called experts unanimously predicted the Mavs to finish fourth in the West. Porzingis is keeping score, in case you were wondering. All rights reserved. The gravity-defying shot by Doncic came with the Dallas Mavericks down by two points […] Luka and KP are both highly skilled players from team-first European backgrounds, and I figured they’d click immediately. SMU football coach Sonny Dykes criticizes NCAA: It ‘makes rules without thinking about the consequences’, Film room: Buy or sell these Cowboys scenarios from NFL draft experts, including a defensive end at No. From the New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson to the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic and ... snagging back-to-back regular-season MVP awards. … ALLEN, THE MAN Kobe Bryant anointed as the best defender he ever faced, would sit on Doncic's left hand. 4. The real story is what the straw poll indicates about expectations, how the Mavs have failed to meet them and how much of that is Luka’s fault. You've got my hips, my thighs, my knees. I mean, Kendrick Perkins did that, but I'm 260 and going full speed. Luka Doncic makes a trick shot that would be impossible to top in H-O-R-S-E Crazy soccer moves followed by a crazy shot. I'm here! Of course, there’s still time for the pair to get on the same page to fuel a run and maybe even clamber up out of seventh, then stick for a couple rounds in the playoffs. And then there’s this: The Mavs are 1-4 without Luka. Luka entered this season as one of the league’s rising stars. Double him? During the March 21 blowout Mavericks win in Portland, fans tweeted video of Doncic leading a 3-on-1 break and, instead of lobbing to Porzingis he tossed a behind-the-back … What impresses me most is he's a veteran at [22] years old. “Those are the best feelings ever.” (RELATED: REPORT: Luka Doncic Card Sells For $4.6 Million) Doncic acknowledged that sometimes he’ll miss those last minute attempts to win a game. Well, that’s part of the purpose. 10, Adolis, my man! He’s consolidated that reputation with multiple game-winners and exemplary performances all year long. • Knicks at Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPNAll times Eastern. "I'd definitely test his cardio," Sandiford-Artest said. It's March 31 inside Boston's TD Garden, and Celtics guard Marcus Smart, one of the NBA's premier on-ball defenders, has just gone from within breathing distance of Doncic to too far away to contest the shot in less than a second. He is blazing his own path," the Dallas Mavericks' owner tweeted in August following Luka Doncic's 43-point triple-double and winning step-back 3-pointer in Game 4 … He can think of only a couple of opponents -- LeBron James and Kobe Bryant come to mind -- who were consistently up to that challenge. Hurt ankle. Do whatever you're going to do," Allen yells, sliding as he speaks. Doncic has worked on functional strength training to make his balance even better, as well as spending hours honing his shooting stroke. At this moment, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Allen drops into a defensive stance. Like Brooklyn Nets star James Harden, Doncic has rare deceleration ability, especially considering his 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame, helping him stop and change directions while maintaining body control, keys to creating space for the shot. ESPN asked a trio of the best on-ball defenders from the past couple of decades -- Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen and Metta Sandiford-Artest, who combined to earn 18 All-Defensive team selections and five championship rings -- what their approach would have been to defend Doncic. “He’s getting treatment, working on it,” coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm playing at 255, 260 [pounds], so that probably would have been difficult. Will major WNBA draft haul put the Dallas Wings on the D-FW sports scoreboard? Or maybe it’s just the national perception that Lillard has carried the Blazers while CJ McCollum has missed nearly half their games. That's Doncic's favorite skill. mark, The MVP race has turned into a Nikola Jokic runaway. We weren’t alone making claims that seem outlandish now. But one thing that I'm taking away is that left-hand dribble to step back into that shot. "A lot of guys are not going to keep setting screens on me. Evan Grant takes a closer look at Adolis Garcia’s big week for Rangers, Denis Gurianov’s scoring outburst helps Stars seize critical victory over Blue Jackets, Why Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Tory Burch and Chanel Beauty open in Plano’s Legacy West this spring. Luka Doncic explains how the Mavericks were able to come back and defeat the Clippers in the closing seconds of overtime to win Game 4. I think some guys just give up. "I want to waste my first foul and let him know that I'm here tonight, whether it's pushing his ass real hard or whatever the case may be. Sandiford-Artest would dare Doncic to beat him off the dribble, at least for most of the game, in anticipation that his legs would feel heavy by the fourth quarter. "For the first three quarters, it would be really hard for you to get a jumper, unless you're coming off a screen. No sense throwing your superstar under the bus. He'd punish the Mavs' big men -- Kristaps Porzingis, Willie Cauley-Stein and Dwight Powell, all significantly lighter than Sandiford-Artest's playing weight -- if they held their ground on a screen. Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. Dame deserves credit for keeping Portland upright, but McCollum has missed just six more games than Kristaps Porzingis, who’s in and out more than your 8-year-old. C'mon, man, let me play.'. Luka’s done just as much heavy lifting as Lillard. You're going to have to drive. (1:30). He had just four points at halftime, but Doncic finished with 29 points and nine assists. Flyer criticizes Highland Park school trustee candidate for supporting Black Lives Matter, Did Luka Doncic save Mavs’ season with latest show of magic? You know NBA players are fans of the game too, so of course they had to take to social media to express how in awe they were of Luka Doncic hitting a … Finally, the Celtics find a solution to slow down Doncic: a double-team. They're going to score, but your job is to contain it and cut it down. He's not one-dimensional. Copyright © 2021 The Dallas Morning News. It's not a matter of, 'Oh, well, I'm this, and it should happen because of that.' However, Doncic will be playing the next game, averaging 28.6 points per game while shooting 48.6% from the field and 36.4% from the three-point range. He’s probably not going to lead the league in triple-doubles like he did last season. "If I can be a little physical with him and make him work a little bit more, a lot like [defending] Steve Nash. Luka Doncic blows past the defense and drives it in for the two-handed finish. Luka Doncic finds space with a step-back and sinks a deep 3-pointer. And I don't mind a guy getting 15 or 20 in the first quarter. The Dallas Mavericks have caught fire over their last 30 games. "He is that good where I want to try to create a diversion as much as I can, because I respect his talent so much. Doncic had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the first half to keep the Mavs in the game as Dallas sliced a … After Lt. Gov. That was just my thought process guarding guys. "Guys didn't want to even screen me, because I'm bigger than the power forwards," Sandiford-Artest says. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday, April 14, … Before the season, I declared it to the world in a For The Win video: Luka Doncic was the player to watch this season, because he was going to win MVP. 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