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| Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic celebrates scoring a game tying basket against the New York Knicks. PHOTO: LM OTERO/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
The Mavericks needed all 51 points from Dallas' sensation Luka Doncic to defeat the Spurs, capping an unprecedented five-game streak.
Dallas defeated San Antonio 126-125 on Saturday night thanks to Doncic's two rebounds and two free throws in the final 4.5 seconds. This was Dallas' sixth straight win.
In his last five games, Doncic has recorded three 50-point performances, including a 60-point, 21-rebound, and 10-assist performance against the Knicks on Tuesday night that required OT. He is the only NBA player to ever have 250 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists over the course of five games.
Mavericks centre Christian Wood described it as "awesome." "In the seven years I have played in the league, I have never seen someone perform to their full potential. He's having a great run right now. He performs like the MVP. Undoubtedly one of the league's greatest players.
Dallas defeated San Antonio for the fifth time in a row thanks to 25 points from Wood.
For San Antonio, Jakob Poeltl had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Jeremy Sochan had 20 points, and Keldon Johnson scored 30. Jeremy Sochan is rolled over by 51-point scorer Luka Doncic as the Mavericks defeat the Spurs 126-125.
(USA TODAY sports). The Mavericks had a 17-point lead going into the final minute, but they were left on their own.
Dallas player Davis Bertans fouled San Antonio guard Tre Jones after Jones purposefully missed the second of two free throws with the Spurs trailing 126-124. The next free throw was made by Jones, but the next one was missed. San Antonio was unable to try a game-winning shot because Doncic missed two free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd stated, "Winning here is not simple. But Luka was once more incredible. He once more saves us by missing free throws in the final seconds when he really wanted to make them so they wouldn't have time to put up a play.
Gregg Popovich, the manager of the Spurs, jokingly swore Doncic would be limited to fewer than 50 points. The star of the Mavericks nearly complied.
Regarding his 51-point performance, Doncic said, "No, I just wanted to win. But 51 points was the good number, right? Doncic responded with a broad smile, "Of course.
The 6-foot-7 forward had half of the fourth quarter's 49 points blocked from him, but he hit two free throws in the next 4.5 seconds to reach 50 points for the fourth time in his career.
Doncic dominated San Antonio with his typical mix of dribble drives, midrange jumpers, 3-pointers, and free throws. His position on the field was 18 out of 28.
Yeah, Popovich said, "We had a terrific team effort and individual effort on him, but he's an amazing player. His IQ is really high. So, like everyone else in the world, we would rather win than lose, but (I'm) incredibly proud of their efforts and how they continued even after we had, what, 13, 14, I can't remember.
All but eight of the Mavericks' first-quarter points—a total of 22 points and one assist—were credited to Doncic.
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