With Phoenix missing their No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Deandre Ayton, due to league suspension, it was hard not to think back to draft night as Luka Doncic tormented the franchise that passed him up.
The MVP campaign for the 20-year-old continues to strengthen with each stunning performance, as he finished with 42 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists in the Mavericks 120-113 win.
✨ @luka7doncic ties his career-high 42 PTS, to go along with 9 REB, 11 AST in the @dallasmavs win! #MFFL pic.twitter.com/rij23PvcQ4
— NBA (@NBA) November 30, 2019
The second-year sensation set up his outing with a dominant first-quarter, dropping 14 points to go with six rebounds and six assists.
Overall he would finish 12-for-24 from the field and 15-for-18 from the free-throw line.
Luka Doncic has played 90 career games.
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) November 30, 2019
He already has more career 40-point, 10-assist games (3) than Magic Johnson or Steve Nash (2).
He’s got the same number as Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Tracy McGrady among others.
It was the re-commencement of a scintillating first month of the season for the Slovenian superstar, after a unusually quiet game against the Clippers before Thanksgiving, where he was limited to 4-for-14 shooting and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The Mavericks have been one of the suprise teams in the NBA to this point, and now currently sit 12-6, good for a tie with Houston for the fourth seed in the West.
Doncic is averaging 30.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists through 18 games, numbers that only two players have put up over an entire season - Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
With Doncic holding the keys to the Dallas offence, all pre-season projections can be launched out the window. While they may not appear to have the overall firepower to match the two Los Angeles based teams across seven games, you can be guaranteed that absolutely nobody wants to face the history making point guard in his second season.
Luka Doncic is absolute must watch. That is, of course, unless you are a fan of the Phoenix Suns ... that one might be a little too tough to swallow.