Nothing stops Slovenian escort-forward Luka Doncic, who for the third consecutive game scored a minimum of 30 points and led this Friday, in the presence of retired German player Dirk Nowitzki, future Hall of Fame member, the overwhelming triumph of the Mavericks of Dallas for a beating of 143-101 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Doncic, who went back to triple-double, already has seven so far this season and is the league leader. In the end he finished with 30 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds - all defensive ones - that left him at the head of a list of seven Mavericks players who had double-digit numbers.
The Mavericks franchise player, who sat on the bench for the entire fourth period, stayed for the third time at the gates of getting the third consecutive triple-double as a professional, which would be a new brand.
The coach of his team, Rick Carlisle, preferred to dose his effort in a game they dominated and had the victory assured, and reserve it for Sunday, when in the Toyota Center, visitors, they will face the Houston Rockets, in the Texan’s first duel of the season.
The former Real Madrid player played 28 minutes in which he scored 11 of 18 field shots, including 4 of 8 triples, and was perfect 7-7 from the personnel line.
This time he also had better control of the ball by losing it only twice and committed two personal fouls.
“Having Dirk (Nowitzki) with us is something that always motivates you,” said Doncic at the end of the game, the second who did not play any minute in the fourth period. “The important thing is not my contribution, but in the end we have achieved another victory, the fourth in a row, and that is the way we have to follow.”
The new display of Doncic had as a luxury spectator Nowitzki, the all-time leading scorer of the Mavericks and the player born abroad who has more points to his credit, who retired last season after contesting 21 with a same team, the only one to achieve it in the history of the NBA.
In his first game he enjoyed as a retired player, Nowitzki saw firsthand that in Doncic, 20, he has the perfect heir, that if the injuries respect him, one day he has the possibility of reaching the team marks that now They are in their power.
Nowitzki, 41, who has already named a street next to the Mavericks field, the American Airlines Center, had not attended any of the first eight games the team had played and, sitting next to the owner of the franchise, Mark Cuban, received a great ovation from the audience as soon as they saw it on the video screen.
The former German player could also see firsthand how the pair formed by Doncic and Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis begins to be lethal, who, although he failed the first five shots in the basket, hit the last six and finished the game with 17 points, seven bounces and four caps.
Porzingis also did not play throughout the fourth period for the second consecutive night, after in the previous game the Mavericks won by beating 142-94 to the Golden State Warriors, whom they humiliated with a final score of 142-94.
While the 42 achieved against the Cavaliers also represent the best score they have had in the history of duels against the Cleveland team.
Two reserve players, forward Justin Jackson, who contributed 19 points with six rebounds, and veteran Puerto Rican baseman Jose Juan Barea, who reached 12 points, were also decisive.
Barea played 12 minutes to cover the injury loss of Seth Curry, who missed the second consecutive game due to illness, and scored 5 of 8 field shots, with 2 of 3 triples, captured a rebound, handed out two assists, recovered a ball , lost two and put a plug.
Starter guard forward Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 16 points as the team’s fourth-highest starter after scoring 4 out of 5 triples, which helped the Mavericks have 54 (20-37) percent success in the triples.
The Mavericks with their triumph placed the global mark at 10-5, the first time they have five above the pair since the 2015-16 season, when Nowitzki helped the team do what has been their last trip to the playoffs so far after in 2011 they achieved the title of NBA champions, first in its history.
