Tag: Luka Doncic

Kobe Bryant heckled Luka Doncic during Lakers – Mavericks … in Slovenian

“He was talking Slovenian. So I was like, who is talking my language? And I saw Kobe.”

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 108-95 on Sunday night, in large part to the Lakers’ excellent defense.

A huge part of that defensive gameplan was keyed around stopping MVP candidate Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. The Lakers did well there, with Doncic having one of the worst nights of his season.

L.A. might have also had a little help getting in Doncic’s head, thanks to former Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who was sitting courtside at the game and isn’t afraid to talk trash to, well, anybody.

During the game, Bryant was shown trash talking Doncic to the point that Doncic actually turned around. When he realized who was doing the smack talk, he smiled and dapped up Bryant.

After the game, however, Doncic revealed that it wasn’t just standard trash talk … Bryant was riffing in Slovenian, Doncic’s native language.

“He was talking Slovenian,” Doncic said. “So I was like, who is talking my language? And I saw Kobe, and I was really surprised.”

Does Bryant know Slovenian from having grown up in Italy and spending a lot of time in Europe? Or is he just such a competitive lunatic that he went and learned Slovenian trash talk so he could give Doncic crap in a game that he wasn’t even playing in?

The world may never know. Honestly, neither would surprise me.

[lawrence-related id=882333,881346,881324]

[jwplayer 8DVvRxMm-q2aasYxh]

Lakers avenge earlier December loss to Mavs with hot 3-point shooting

LeBron James didn’t score a lot but the Los Angeles Lakers had a total team effort to beat the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.

LeBron James tied his lowest scoring total in a game this season but the Los Angeles Lakers had some timely 3-point shooting as a team on Sunday night as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, 108-95. Anthony Davis had a game-high 23 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists.

James was great at setting the table for his teammates with 13 assists but he tied a season-low with just 13 points on the night. Luckily for Lakers, LeBron and Danny Green each hit a pair of 3-pointers while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had another hot night from the field, going four for five from the 3-point line off the Lakers bench.

The Lakers held Dallas to just 36% shooting on the evening and the story of the game could not be told without discussing the brutal fall suffered by Dallas phenom Luka Doncic after a block by Dwight Howard. Doncic had 19 points and seven assists but was just five for 14 from the field.

Kyle Kuzma couldn’t keep his hot streak going, failing to score on the night but grabbing five rebounds while going 0 for seven from the field.

Now the Lakers have a good chunk of days off between now and their next game as they aren’t scheduled to play again until Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.

[lawrence-related id=24191,24185]

Draymond Green loves when Klay Thompson’s temper flares for Warriors

Throughout the Warriors’ loss to the Mavericks, trash talk was thrown around from the bench to the floor and Klay Thompson was in the middle of it.

It’s been 12 years since the Warriors upset the 2007 Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs, but in 2019, there looked to be no love lost. The Warriors four-game win streak snapped in a blowout loss against the Mavericks, 141-121. However, the storyline was how chippy things got throughout the game between Dallas and Golden State.

It’s safe to say the holiday spirit for the Warriors and Mavericks has worn off.

The tension between the teams grew when Kristaps Porzingis and Draymond Green had a heated exchange in the second quarter. Green swiped the ball from Porzingis and stared down the 7-foot Latvian.

Porzingis and Green were caught exchanging words that didn’t look all too friendly, which led to the two getting separated by teammates.
A surprise Warrior injected himself into the trash talk, injured All-Star Klay Thompson, got off the bench, and appeared frustrated with Green and Porzingis’ face-to-face battle.

After the game, Green was proud of the way Thompson came to his defense versus Porzingis.

“I don’t think I enjoy many things more in life than when Klay gets into it with somebody,” Green told reporters after the Warriors’ loss. “That’s always a treat—so, that was fun to see.”

Saying there are not many things Green enjoys more in life than seeing Thompson get fired up against an opposing player is high praise from the former Defensive Player of the Year.

Both injured All-Star guards, Thompson and Stephen Curry, have been around the Warriors’ on a more consistent basis as both are progressing through injuries.

According to several Warriors players, Curry and Thompson have brought a new level of energy to the team’s sideline, and it’s shown.

Although the Dubs lost against Dallas, they ended their five-game homestand with a 4-1 record with Curry and Thompson in the building— a breath of fresh air amid a season filled with struggles.

Lakers officially list LeBron James probable, Anthony Davis questionable vs. Mavs

LeBron James is probable for Sunday’s showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks while Davis is questionable.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis both expressed their intentions to play on Sunday night against the Dallas Mavericks following Saturday night’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland. Now with a few hours away from the heat of battle, there’s still a solid chance both play but James is deemed more likely to play than Davis only a few hours from tip-off.

James, currently recovering from a groin re-aggravation on Christmas and a re-aggravated elbow injury on Saturday is probable to play while Davis is questionable after re-aggravating his sore right shoulder from earlier in the season, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.

James had 21 points and 16 assists in Saturday night’s win despite being considered a game-time decision by head coach Frank Vogel. After the game, James was modest saying that he’s “doing alright for himself” with regards to the health of his groin.

Davis, on the other hand, had 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on Saturday. Although he didn’t have eye-popping numbers, he had a string of huge plays to end the third quarter well after Portland briefly grabbed a lead.

The Lakers are 1-1 against the Dallas Mavericks so far this season. They lost the last meeting, at Staples Center, 114-100.

[lawrence-related id=24161,24155]

 

LeBron James and Anthony Davis expect to play as Lakers welcome Mavs

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday and both stars intend to play Sunday against Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

After snapping a season-long four-game losing streak last night in Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers will be back on the court Sunday night in what is a highly-anticipated rubber match against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Also very important for the Lakers, both of their stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, said following Saturday night’s win that they intend to play tonight against the Mavericks.

The first two matchups between these two teams were excellent in different ways. In the first game, a Lakers win on Nov. 1 at Dallas, James and Doncic had dueling triple-doubles in a Lakers overtime win. Then on Dec. 1, Doncic avenged that loss with a supernova second half as he and the Mavericks caught fire from downtown.

If the Lakers are going to avenge their loss from earlier this month, the 3-point line and their defense on Doncic is the place to start. After starting the game trapping Doncic, the Lakers backed off of that strategy. But credit needs to be given to the Mavericks and their 3-point shooters for getting open on their way to 49 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Lakers only attempted 27.

While the Lakers offense can score high totals as they did last night, the Mavericks have the best offensive rating in the league through the first two months of the season. Their defensive strengths of size and length will be tested by the Mavericks 5-out offensive attack, so the Lakers may have to play a little bit more small ball in this one if they want to curtail the perimeter attack of a strong Dallas squad.

[lawrence-related id=24161,24155]

Luka Doncic and Mavs snap Warriors’ season-high win streak, 141-121

D’Angelo Russell’s nine three-pointers not enough to extend the Warriors’ season-high win streak, as Luka Doncic and the Mavericks play spoiler at Chase Center.

Over their past four games, the Golden State Warriors have played their best basketball of the 2019-20 season, and the wins have followed. Against the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic, everything came crashing back down to earth.

Behind Doncic’s 30-point triple-double, the Mavericks blew out Golden State in the second half to spoil the Warriors’ four-game win streak, 141-121.

D’Angelo Russell’s hot shooting night kept the Warriors close early in the game, but a big third quarter from Dallas put Golden State in a hole they couldn’t climb out from. The Mavericks outscored the Warriors 45-24 in the third quarter alone.

Although the blowout loss may look ugly in the box score, the Warriors closed out their five-game homestand with a 4-1 record— a positive sign of improvement for a team that’s struggled throughout 2019.

The Warriors will now hit the road for their next three games before returning to Chase Center in the new decade.

D-Lo down, but not out

During the Warriors’ last six games, Russell has looked like the All-Star product the team traded for from Brooklyn, and against Dallas, he didn’t slow down.

Russell tallied 35 points, six assists and four rebounds on 13-of-21 shooting from the field. Russell added nine three-pointers on 13 attempts from beyond the arc.

A scary moment came in the third quarter when Russell collided with Doncic and didn’t get up. Russell was down on the floor for several minutes, and the Warriors medical staff even brought a stretcher out to help him off the floor, but the former Buckeye was able to walk to the locker room on his own power.

Russell quickly returned to the bench with a right shoulder contusion and re-entered the game in the fourth quarter.

Luka loves playing Golden State

After going nuclear against the Warriors back in November, Doncic didn’t let up at Chase Center in round two. Doncic registered his second triple-double against Golden State this season with 31 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds. With Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry watching, Doncic hit eight three-pointers.

For those counting at home, Doncic’s recorded 66 points, 26 assists and 22 rebounds in two contests against Golden State this season. Luckily for Doncic, the Mavericks return to Chase Center in mid-January for another chance at the Warriors.

D’Angelo Russell exits game vs. Mavs after collision with Luka Doncic

After scoring 32 points against the Dallas Mavericks, D’Angelo Russell had to leave the game after taking an ugly collision with Luka Doncic.

Injuries have run rampant throughout the Warriors’ 2019-20 season, with the latest scare coming to All-Star guard, D’Angelo Russell. Russell left the game against the Dallas Mavericks after colliding with phenom, Luka Doncic.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Russell, who was on a heater scoring the basketball against Dallas. Russell had 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting with the game only into the third quarter.

Russell knocked down eight three-pointers in the first half, joining Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry as the only Golden State shooters to nail eight or more threes in one half of basketball.

Russell left the game with a little over five minutes left in the third quarter after taking an ugly collision on a bang-bang play against Doncic. Russell’s hit made everyone in San Francisco’s Chase Center hold their breath as the Ohio State product was down on the floor for several minutes.

The stretcher came out onto the floor at one point, but Russell was able to walk off the floor into the locker room on his own power.

After going to the locker room, Russell returned to the bench before the third quarter ended— a positive sign for a team that’s dealt with a bevy of serious injuries all season long.

According to the Warriors, Russell’s injury is a right shoulder contusion, and he’s able to return against the Mavericks.

Why Luka Doncic signing with Jordan Brand is a big deal

The future of Jordan Brand is bright with Luka Doncic on board

It’s rare that we see star basketball players become free agents in the sneaker market. It’s even more rare for those star players to be just 20 years old.

That’s what we had in Luka Doncic this season. After his deal with Nike expired earlier in the year, Doncic was in the open market and fully testing the waters with different companies, including Nike, Under Armour, Jordan Brand and more.

Now, the chase is over — the young phenom has made his choice. Jordan Brand officially announced on Thursday that they’ve locked the Mavericks guard down to a deal via a video on Twitter.

Doncic will join the likes of Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker and Russell Westbrook on the Jordan roster.

Doncic, more than any other star in the Jordan lineup, is poised to make major waves for the brand immediately. The company is most known for its retros and the shoes Michael Jordan actually wore. Most of those are being turned into designer collaborations these days — basketball almost feels secondary.

They’ve had notable active athletes over the years like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, but they haven’t made the same lasting imprint on the NBA some of their Nike counterparts have.

Jordan Brand hasn’t had a player with the kind of ceiling Doncic has had in quite some time. That’s a credit to how good Doncic already is and how good he could be.

Now, at just 20 years old, Doncic is one of the best players in the league. He’s already an MVP candidate in just his second season as an NBA player and looks like he could be an All-NBA player for a majority of his career. He still has to go out and prove he is that, but the foundation is there.

All of a sudden, the future of Jordan Brand’s roster of athletes is looking quite bright. Doncic is only one part of the equation — we can’t forget about Williamson. If these two are as good as people think they can be, Jordan Brand will be in some pretty good hands going forward.

[jwplayer S8HBF4X2-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=881465]

Luka Doncic is reportedly close to joining Zion, Rui at Jordan Brand

The Mavericks star is apparently close to signing an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is reportedly close to signing a multi-year endorsement deal with Jordan Brand, according to Tim Cato and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Doncic has been seen wearing Jordan Brand shoes throughout the season as the news is likely a formality at this point though a deal has yet to be officially announced.

With Doncic in the fold now, Jordan Brand has put together quite a roster in recent memory. The Mavericks star joins the likes of Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, Rui Hachimura, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul to endorse the apparel company.

Doncic was certainly viewed as perhaps the top sneaker free agent.

The second-year guard is third in the NBA in scoring and has emerged as an MVP candidate this season. He has become one of the most popular players around the world and shoe companies likely wanted to tap into his broad reach around the globe.

Doncic is averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists in 25 games this season as the Mavericks are fourth in the Western Conference at 19-9.

[lawrence-related id=8818,8806,8615]

Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Dallas Mavericks (18-9) visit the Philadelphia 76ers (20-9) Friday at 8 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center (on ESPN). We analyze the Mavericks-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Mavericks have alternated wins and losses over their last six games, recently dropping a 109-103 decision at home to the Boston Celtics Wednesday.

The 76ers suffered their first home loss of the season and their second loss in a row Wednesday in a 108-104 setback to the Miami Heat.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.

Mavericks at 76ers: Key injuries

Mavericks

  • SG Luka Doncic (ankle) out
  • SG Seth Curry (back) questionable
  • PF Delon Wright (finger) questionable

Mavericks at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 112, Pelicans 107

Moneyline (ML)

PASS. The 76ers (-385), who were 14-0 at home until Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, are heavy favorites. They’re going to win this one, but I’m not a fan of suggesting to lay that kind of chalk – every $3.85 wagered will profit $1 if they win Friday. It’s too bad Dallas (+300) will be without Doncic, who leads the Mavs in points (29.3 PPG), rebounds (9.6 RPG) and assists (8.9 APG). He injured his ankle Saturday and missed the last two games. Otherwise, this would have been a really good cross-conference matchup.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The MAVERICKS +8.5 (-115) are the STRONGEST PLAY. They’re 16-11 ATS this season and an NBA-best 9-2 ATS on the road. Even without Doncic, they’ve played well the last two games, including a 120-116 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks. PF Kristaps Porzingis has stepped up in Doncic’s absence, leading the Mavs in scoring and rebounds in those two games. Meanwhile, as the 76ers (-8.5, -106) have dominated on their home floor, they’re only 7-6-2 ATS there and 12-14-3 ATS overall.

Over/Under (O/U)

Back the OVER 213.5 (-115). The Mavericks average 117.6 PPG and have scored 120 and 103 the last two games without Doncic. They lead the league with an 18-9 O/U mark. The 76ers, who average 109.1 PPG, are 13-15-1 O/U. It should be close, but the Over is the way to go for this nationally-televised contest.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Johnny’s NBA record: 12-5-1. Strongest plays: 6-2.

Follow @JohnnyParlay11 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2017]