Basketball star Luka Doncic proved his tremendous value to the Dallas Mavericks after the departure of Kristaps Porzingis, scoring 51 points in the win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Slovenian has never had so many in the NBA.
Hours after the Mavericks traded his partner of just over two years to the Washington Wizards on the last day of the transfer window, Doncic dominated, averaging 28 points in the first quarter alone.
“Great, amazing. That’s it, that’s the word for it. All throws felt great, even the ones I missed, they also felt great,” said Doncic. National player Maxi Kleber contributed eight points and nine rebounds in the fourth Mavericks win in a row. Isaiah Hartenstein came up with two points in six minutes for the Clippers.
The Mavericks drew closer to fourth-place Utah Jazz with the win in the Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns meanwhile consolidated first place with a 131:107 against defending champion Milwaukee Bucks – also because pursuers Golden State Warriors surprisingly lost a second time in a row. Despite Steph Curry’s 35 points, the score against the New York Knicks was 114:116.
The Brooklyn Nets conceded their tenth loss in a row and lost to the Washington Wizards 112:113. The team previously parted ways with the Philadelphia 76ers from James Harden in exchange for Ben Simmons, who has not yet played directly. Dennis Schröder has not played for his new team, the Houston Rockets, in their 120-139 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Schröder was traded by the Boston Celtics for his buddy Daniel Theis. (dpa)
