When a coach that’s seen Steph Curry and Kevin Durant compares Luka Doncic to the reigning MVP and a Hall of Famer, you take note.
[jwplayer 3hhPHX9C-z6KDnl0B]
Calling Luka Doncic must-watch television would be an understatement. From the minute he suited up with the Dallas Mavericks, he’s lived up to his pre-draft hype. However, in year two, the reigning Rookie of the Year has double-downed.
Doncic’s sophomore season has been elite. In the month of November, Doncic is averaging 31.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 35.5% from beyond the arc. Doncic leads the NBA with seven triple-doubles this season in only 14 games. The one-time EuroLeague MVP is now garnering NBA MVP buzz.
The 6-foot-7 stud torched the struggling Warriors for 35 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in only 25 minutes, the quickest 35-point triple-double in NBA history.
Championship coach Steve Kerr had a front-row seat to Doncic’s latest triple-double and had high praise for the 20-year-old rising star when he discussed his performance with NBC Sports Bay Area after the loss.
Kerr said he doesn’t have an exact comparison for Doncic since the game has changed so much over time, but he’s a mixture of a current All-Star and a certain Hall of Famer.
I think he and James Harden have a similar type-game for the modern game. The threes, the passing ability, so I think he’s a little bit like Harden.
Comparing Doncic to the reigning MVP is an excellent compliment for a 20-year old second-year player, but Kerr didn’t stop there.
He’s got a little bit of Larry Bird, the ability to see the game a step ahead, but it’s a very different game these days. Bird wasn’t shooting those step-back threes like that off the dribble, he’s a unique player to himself.
You can hear Kerr’s comparison of Doncic at the 1:26 mark below:
For a coach that’s watched players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, that type of acclaim shouldn’t go unnoted.
The only positive with the Warriors’ 3-13 record is that they’re currently in line for a high lottery pick. If they’re lucky, they’ll have a shot at acquiring a talent as rich as Doncic.
Luka Doncic handed the Warriors their worst loss in the Steve Kerr era.
[jwplayer 3hhPHX9C-z6KDnl0B]
Before referee, Ed Malloy tossed the ball into the air at American Airlines Arena for the opening tip, the Golden State Warriors were behind against the Dallas Mavericks.
Former Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green was ruled out before the start of the Warriors second stop in a road back-to-back bringing Golden State’s healthy player count down to eight against the Mavericks— a season-low for the injury-laden Dubs.
The Warriors-Mavericks game started with Green’s injury announcement and ended with a 142-94 win in favor of the home team.
The thin Warriors rotation didn’t hold back the Mavericks from stepping on the peddle, behind their Slovenian star showing why he’s the talk of the town.
Luka Doncic blitzed the Warriors from the first quarter on, recording a triple-double without even playing in the fourth quarter. The reigning Rookie of the Year tallied 35 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in only 25-minutes— the shortest 35-point triple-double in NBA history.
The second-year phenom, outscored Golden State alone in the first quarter, 22-16. For the first half, he dropped 33 points while the entire Warriors team only scored 38 going into the locker room.
Luckily for Golden State, as bad as it was, this wasn’t there worst all-time loss. Back in 1972, the Warriors lost by a whopping 63-points to the Lakers, It’s tough to find positives in a 48-loss, but here we are.
Similar to the rest of the season, Golden State was led by a pair of rookies who are making a case to be a part of the team’s future plans.
Undrafted Boston College product, Ky Bowman, started at point-guard and continued to prove he belongs in the NBA. Bowman controlled the game on the offensive side for Golden State, scoring 16-points, dishes out a pair of dimes, with no turnovers.
Eric Paschall added another solid game to his rookie campaign leading Golden State with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The Warriors now head to Utah to cap off their four-game road swing against the 8-5 Jazz. Getting his young roster to respond to the worst loss of his coaching tenure with a step in the right direction will be Coach Steve Kerr’s next big challenge.
Luke Doncic embarrassed Golden State in the first quarter.
So yeah, Luka Doncic is really, really good at basketball.
The second-year star of the Dallas Mavericks entered Wednesday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors averaging just under 30 points a contest. He also has 10.7 rebounds a game and 9.3 assists.
Then Wednesday night he went out and had a monster first quarter against the banged-up Warriors, putting up numbers that haven’t been seen since Allen Iverson in 2003.
Check out what he did to poor Golden State, who added Draymond Green to their list of injured stars before the game:
Luka Doncic is the first player to outscore, outrebound and out-assist a team in a quarter since Allen Iverson on Feb. 19, 2003 against the Bulls.
Doncic did this to the Warriors in the 1st quarter.
And he had another triple-double before the fourth quarter:
Luka Doncic is done for the night: 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists in 25 minutes. He leaves with the Mavericks up 45 on the Warriors late in the third quarter.
Luka Doncic has reached 300 Pts, 100 Reb, and 100 Ast over his last 10 games, making him the 5th player in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double over any 10-game span.
Draymond Green is the latest Warriors to hit the injury report in 2019.
[jwplayer 3hhPHX9C-z6KDnl0B]
The injury bug can’t stay away from the Golden State Warriors, with the latest bite coming for Draymond Green.
After a 35-minute, near triple-double performance for the former Defensive Player of the Year, Green is out for the second step of the Warriors road back-to-back in Dallas.
Green slammed his elbow against the Memphis floor late in the third quarter of the Warriors 114-95 win, but that’s not the reason why he’ll miss the Dallas game. Letourneau is reporting Green will be out with right heel soreness.
Luckily for Golden State, Tim MacMahon of ESPN says the injury isn’t severe, and the forward is still doing his regular pregame shooting routine before things tip-off in Dallas.
Warriors power forward Draymond Green will not play against the Mavericks because of right heel soreness. It isn't a serious injury, as Green is going through his normal pregame shooting routine.
Even if the news on Green’s injury being positive, the Warriors can’t shake the injury report as they lead the NBA in games missed due to injury and will now have only eight healthy players against Dallas.
With that being said, the new Dallas Mavericks City jerseys for this season absolutely take the cake. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything this bad before.
The font looks like it was pulled out of some kid’s 5th grade coloring book. Also, fam, since when was this much lime green acceptable in literally any walk of life? Look at these.
Inspired by Art + Basketball, the 2019-2020 City Edition Jersey is OUT. #MAVSCITY.
Poor Kristaps Porzingis. For him to have to stand in front of that backdrop and strike a “how do you do, fellow kids?” pose like that is a Latvian tragedy. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, do not make Luka Doncic wear this.
Here’s a closer look.
here's two promotional shots of the new mavericks city jersey from a new press release: pic.twitter.com/9UjCkJ1S99
The jerseys will debut on November 26 when Dallas plays the Clippers. Apparently, the team’s theme for the jerseys is art and basketball which, uh, sure this is art.
Twitter roast sessions are normally unwarranted and unnecessary. But in this case? Twitter was absolutely correct and fans didn’t hold back at all.
At the end of the day, these are bad. But they’re only just jerseys and these are only just jokes. The Mavericks are still good and Luka Doncic is still spectacular, so you have a lot to look forward to this season Mavs fans.
Just know that whatever lies ahead also comes with seeing these jerseys 22 times throughout this year.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives their Top 10 candidates for this season’s Most Valuable Player award. Check out this week’s rankings.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
Siakam is making the Raptors look smart for giving him that four-year, $130 million extension. This is Siakam’s first appearance in our Top 10, but he’s been playing well all season. Even if he doesn’t receive significant MVP love this year because there are so many great candidates, it’s possible that he could become the first player in NBA history to win the Most Improved Player award twice. One could make the argument that his growth over the last year (+8.8 ppg, +1.7 rpg, +1.1 apg) is just as impressive as his sophomore-to-junior leap (+9.6 ppg, +2.4 rpg, +1.1 apg). Regardless of whether he wins MIP for a second-straight year, he’s made huge strides this season. Becoming a team’s No. 1 option and a 25-point-per-game scorer is extremely hard, but Siakam has made it look easy. The 25-year-old has essentially filled the Kawhi Leonard role in this offense and it’s been amazing to watch his development in recent years. He has the Raptors sitting at 9-4, which is the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Leonard dropped down our list over the last week because he’s missed three-straight games due to a left-knee contusion that he suffered in the Clippers’ loss to the Houston Rockets last Wednesday. Leonard has been terrific on both ends of the floor when he’s suited up, but he’s now missed five of a possible 14 games this season. As we wrote in this space last week, voters tend to reward players who haven’t missed significant time when considering Most Valuable Player. The last 15 MVP winners have missed an average of 3.93 games in the season in which they won the award (with no individual missing more than 10 games). The Clippers are likely going to be cautious with Leonard moving forward to ensure that he’ll be at 100 percent for their playoff run (like the Toronto Raptors’ approach that worked so well last year). Also, when two MVP candidates have teamed up in the past (like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors), voters weren’t sure what to do and they basically canceled each other out. It’s possible that could happen with Leonard and 2018-19 MVP finalist Paul George, who returned recently.
The big news in the NBA over the last week was the Trail Blazers’ decision to sign free agent Carmelo Anthony. After sustaining numerous injuries and getting off to a slow start (5-9, which is the third-worst record in the Western Conference), Portland is hoping that Anthony can help revitalize this team. Last time Anthony was in the NBA, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 threes while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from three-point range in 10 games with the Houston Rockets. It remains to be seen how much this addition will impact Lillard and CJ McCollum, who are Portland’s top options on offense. Lillard is averaging career-highs across the board, but he’s received little help from his supporting cast, which is why the Blazers are struggling so much.
Not only has Towns been filling the stat sheet, he’s been extraordinarily efficient in the process. He’s shooting 51.2 percent from the field on 17.9 field goal attempts and he’s making 43.5 percent of his threes on 9.0 attempts. Only James Harden (4.9) is making more threes per game than Towns (3.9), and the big man’s three-point percentage is 6.5 percentage points higher than Harden’s. Also, Towns currently ranks fourth in Box Plus/Minus (+10.1), fourth in PER (30.4) and fifth in Value Over Replacement Player (1.2). With Towns making his presence felt all over the court and Andrew Wiggins playing the best basketball of his career, the Timberwolves are now 8-6 and holding the Western Conference’s eighth seed, putting them just 3.5 games back from the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
It didn’t take long for Davis and LeBron James long to develop chemistry, as they’ve been a terrific one-two punch for the Lakers thus far. As our Bryan Kalbroskynoted, James is passing the ball to Davis 25.2 times per 36 minutes, which is more than he dished to any other past teammate, including Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love. It’s clear that James trusts his big man and if they’re playing this well with very little time spent getting acclimated to each other (and their many new teammates), it’ll be interesting to see how well they’ll be playing together toward the end of the season when they’ve learned each other’s tendencies more. Davis is leading the NBA in blocks per game and he’s swatted 24 shots in his last seven games.
Kyrie Irving who? When news broke over the summer that Irving (and Al Horford) planned to leave Boston via free agency, it seemed like the Celtics were going to take a significant step back. It would’ve been understandable if they shifted their focus to developing Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. Instead, the Celtics found a terrific replacement for Irving in Kemba Walker. The 29-year-old is posting impressive numbers and he has Boston sitting at No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings with an 11-2 record (which is also tied for the best record in the entire NBA). It seems that Walker brings production similar to that of Irving without the behind-the-scenes drama and chemistry issues that hurt the Celtics last year. If Boston can keep this up and sit atop the East, Walker would get some MVP consideration (and deservedly so) and Brad Stevens would likely get some Coach of the Year love. And as Walker gets more comfortable with his new team, his play should only improve. With that said, there seems to be a significant gap between the Top-4 players on this list and everyone else.
Doncic is used to having unprecedented success for someone his age. Remember, he won the Euroleague MVP award at 19 years old prior to entering the NBA. Now, as a 20-year-old sophomore in the Association, his numbers aren’t too far off from what Russell Westbrook averaged back in 2016-17 when he won MVP (31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.6 steals). While posting triple-doubles no longer seems to draw the same jaw-dropping reaction since Westbrook normalized it, it’s unheard of for a 20-year-old to be having this kind of success. He had an MVP performance on Monday night, dropping 42 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and 5 threes in a win over the San Antonio Spurs. Only two players in NBA history have posted a 40-point triple-double at age-20: Doncic and LeBron James. The sophomore is having a special campaign, his Mavericks are fifth in the West at 8-5 and he deserves to be high on this list as long as he keeps this up.
If the season ended today, Harden’s 39.2 scoring average would be the highest since Wilt Chamberlain posted 44.8 points per game in the 1962-63 season. In fact, Harden is on pace to join Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average 39 or more points in a season. (Michael Jordan came close in 1986-87, but he finished the campaign averaging 37.1 points). Harden’s shooting percentages aren’t pretty – 42.5 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from deep – but when Houston is winning and he’s averaging nearly 40 points and eight assists per game, it feels like nitpicking to complain about his efficiency. Also, it’s worth noting that his True Shooting Percentage (.618) is actually up from last season. The Rockets have won eight-straight games and are 11-3, which is the second-best record in the Western Conference (and the third-best record in the NBA). If Harden continues at this pace, this season will go down as one of the most impressive offensive displays in league history.
At this point, James has the “best player on the best team” argument going for him. He’s filling the stat sheet on a nightly basis and it’s translating into wins for the Lakers, who are an NBA-best 11-2 (with a league-best +10.2 average point differential) thus far. Can the Lakers sustain this level of play? That remains to be seen, but James will have a strong case as long as they do. If James were to win his fifth MVP award this season, he’d become the second-oldest MVP in NBA history behind only Karl Malone (who was named Most Valuable Player in his age-35 season). Malone was 35 years and 284 days old at the end of the 1998-99 regular season. James is also in his age-35 season, but he would only be 35 years and 107 days old at the end of this regular season. Whether he ultimately wins the honor or not, nobody can deny how impressive it is for James to be producing like this at 35 years old.
Antetokounmpo is having another incredible season and while it may not feel like past years because his cheat-code dominance is no longer fresh and surprising, at the end of the day, he’s the reigning MVP and he has somehow managed to improve his stats across the board. He’s averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, Player Efficiency Rating, Box Plus/Minus, Defensive Rating and the list goes on and on. The advance stats love him too, as he leads all NBA players in Box Plus/Minus, Value Over Replacement Player and PER. He’s led the Bucks to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 10-3 (with an East-best +9.5 average point differential). He has the numbers, record and signature performances to potentially win back-to-back MVP awards. Also, he’s doing this without another star on his team, unlike LeBron James (who has Anthony Davis) and James Harden (who has Russell Westbrook). It remains to be seen if voters will take that into consideration, as they have in the past.
To paraphrase from something LeBron James recently said to Luka Doncic (and also reiterated in an Instagram story from Monday night), the Dallas Mavericks star is one bad, bad man.
On Monday night in a win over the San Antonio Spurs, the second-year stud had a game for the ages with 42 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists and a 5-of-13 night from beyond the arc.
And now we get to throw his name into the early NBA MVP mix with the Dallas Mavericks right in the thick of the Western Conference contenders at 8-5.
Seriously. Have you seen his numbers this year? Let’s get into what he did on Monday night and what he’s done so far with some jaw-dropping stats.
1.
LUKA DONCIC 🤯
42 PTS (career-high), 11 REB & 12 AST 📈
All players in NBA history to record a 40+ PTS triple-double before the age of 21: LeBron James & Luka Doncic. That's it. 💫
Doncic and LeBron are the only players with a 40-point triple-double pre-age 21. That’s SCARY.
2.
Luka Doncic is the only NBA player currently ranked in the top 10 in scoring (fourth, 29.5 ppg), rebounding (10th, 10.7) and assists (second, 9.3). The season is only a month old, but with the Mavs at 8-5, the 20-year-old is unquestionably on the short list of MVP candidates.
This might be my favorite stat of all. Doncic continues to destroy defenders both inside (without dunks!) AND with that step-back three that might be one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shots:
Doncic started the year off hot, and he’s only getting better. A 42-point triple-double last night had Doncic looking like a future MVP.
MVP PERFORMANCE FOR LUKA: Luka Doncic exploded yet again on Monday night, dropping 42 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists against the Spurs,including this huge shot to seal the victory for Dallas. At 20 years and 263 days old, he’s the youngest player to ever post a 42-point triple-double, surpassing LeBron James, the previous owner of the record, who did it when he was already 21.
On the year, Doncic is now averaging 29.5 points (fifth overall league-wide), 10.7 rebounds (12th league-wide) and 9.3 assists (second league-wide) per game. He’s the only player this season posting a 29/10/9 stat line, and he’s doing it as a 20-year-old, which is just unfathomable.
🏦 Oh, and he’s currently just the160th-highest paid player in the league, making Doncic by far the best value contract in the league. Like the NFL strategy of drafting an elite quarterback and spending on filling out the rest of the roster, the Mavericks have a great chance to build a sustainable winner over the next couple of seasons, before Doncic gets his max extension.
Then again, even when the Slovenian superstar is earning a max salary, he’ll still be worth every penny, so the Mavericks are set as long as they have Doncic leading the way.
VETERAN WAIVED: The Rockets announced on Monday that they werewaiving veteran big man Ryan Anderson. He hasn’t been effective in a few years now, so this might be it for him.
MORE MISSED TIME: Kawhi Leonard missed his third game in a row last night due to aleft knee contusion.
LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two noteworthy streaks continued in the NBA last night – one good and one bad.
🚀 As far as the good one: The Rockets won their eighth game in a row, obliterating the struggling Blazers 132-109 behind a 36-point effort from James Harden. Harden’s been so insanely productive as a scorer this season that dropping merely 36 points actually brought his scoring average down from 39.5 points per game to 39.2.
😳 And now for the bad: The Spurs dropped their sixth game in a row, falling to Dallas 117-110. That losing streak matches their longest since Gregg Popovich’s first full season as head coach, all the way back in… 1997-98. It’s starting to look more and more like this could be the first season San Antonio misses the playoffs since 1996-97.
NO RINGS FOR YOU: The Raptors won’t be giving any of the players they traded mid-season last year – Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright or CJ Miles –championship rings. Mind you, Drake did get a championship ring from Toronto. So did one of their super fans. Not the best look.
WINGS WHO BOARD: The Ringer theorizes that the next great market inefficiency in the NBA will bewings who rebound the ball well.
Luka Doncic dropped a career-high the night he decided to wear a pair of Stephen Curry signature sneaker, the Curry 7 “Sour Patch Kids”
Even if he’s not on the court, Stephen Curry is still busy rolling out his signature sneaker, the Under Armor Curry 7.
The first Curry 7 colorway, “UNDRTD” dropped November 1, with more editions of the shoe on the way. The next shoe set to release on November 23 is already grabbing the attention of some players across the league and the two-time MVP is a fan.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Donic called on the “Sour Patch Kids” Curry 7 for his game versus the San Antonio Spurs Monday night. Doncic dropped a career-high 42 points with a triple-double while rocking Curry’s signature shoe.
Curry took to Twitter to show respect for the Slovenian’s shoe choice.
The reigning Rookie of the Year has yet to sign a signature shoe deal of his own, and according to Nick DePaula of ESPN, this is the first time he hasn’t gone with Nikes in-game.
Doncic will now welcome Curry’s struggling Dubs to town right when he’s starting to heat up. In November, the 20-year old is averaging a triple-double with 30.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game.
How the Warriors can slow down a phenom like Doncic will shoot to the top of Steve Kerr’s long list of current challenges.
If the former third overall pick is superstitious at all, it’s a safe bet he’ll don the Curry 7 kicks again after going off for a 40-point triple-double the first time he wore the shoe.
The Warriors are amide the worst losing streak of the Steve Kerr era, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon.
[jwplayer KH1SqyKp-z6KDnl0B]
The Golden State Warriors blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers—their fifth straight—marked the worst losing streak of the Steve Kerr era. It’s probably just beginning, as well, as the club will now welcome the NBA-leading Boston Celtics to Chase Center on Friday night.
The early losing streak isn’t the only bad sign for the Warriors, as their 2-10 start is the worst since the 1999-2000 season when they finished with only 19 wins.
A five-game losing streak might not seem long by most standards, but it may not end anytime soon. Beginning with the contest against the Celtics, the road won’t get any easier.
Boston and Golden State are at opposite ends of the spectrum in many categories, as the Celtics rate first in offensive efficiency (113.8) while the Warriors rank last in defensive rating (117.2). Boston scores in the top-10 in points per game (116.1), while the Dubs allow the second-most points per game (121.1).
Looking beyond the Celtics on the schedule, the Dubs aren’t given any favors. Eight of their next 10 games are on the road. During that time, Golden State plays a blend of teams that are either young and on the rise or competing for a playoff spot.
The Warriors will face both the Utah Jazz and Miami Heat in their buildings. Both teams have eight wins to start the young season. Looking past the established teams during the next stretch Golden State will face off against a group of hungry teams lead by young talent.
D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Poole will tangle with Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Ja Morant on the upcoming road trip. If you were power ranking the next breed of NBA stars, the aforementioned group would be at the top of the list. It’s not crazy to believe each youngster will try to show out with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson watching.
The positive when looking forward is the Warriors do get a shot against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday to start their road trip. One of the two wins the Dubs have is against the Pels, who are also depleted from injury.
It’ll be interesting to see where the Warriors stand after the next 11-games.
They’ll be challenged in every contest, but a pair of road trips stacked together could be the thing this young team needs to build chemistry.
