DALLAS – Luka Doncic hasn’t had much reason to turn on his infectious smile lately. He is a firm believer in the professional benefits of enjoying basketball, but this is difficult to do when the Dallas Mavericks lost 10 of the previous 13 games, as was the case when he reported to work Saturday night at the American Airlines Center.
Give Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors star, assistance in restoring Doncic’s joy. Even in an empty arena, there is nothing that electrifies an NBA atmosphere like cooking Curry. That was certainly the case on Saturday, with Curry coming out 11-of-19 out of the 3-point range and throwing a rain of silly photos, the kind that makes you gasp out loud, on the way to 57 points.
Doncic gladly accepted Curry’s spectacular performance as a challenge. He responded with an exit that reminded the national television audience why the 21-year-old entered the season with the weight of MVP expectations, matching his career with 42 points and eliminating 11 assists to lead Dallas to a thrilling – and desperate need – 134-132 victory.
“Obviously, going against Steph is fun,” Doncic said. “I have to have more fun playing the game to be who I was before. I just have to go back and enjoy the game.”
If you didn’t like this game, basketball is probably not the sport for you. Or maybe you’re just a bitter soul. How else to explain that you don’t smile when you see Curry exaggerating his shoulder on the midfield logo after a transition has passed? How can you not appreciate the artistic beauty of the best shooter in NBA history dancing with his dribble before dripping 30 feet back with one hand in front?
“What Steph is doing is incredible,” Doncic said. “I just think every shot will come in when he shot it. It’s incredible the way he plays the game and it’s enjoyable to watch, even if you’re on the opposing team.”
As Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Curry, “He’s one of the guys I’d pay a lot of money to watch.”
Doncic, who only watches Curry among the guards in the anticipated returns of the All-Star vote, is definitely another player who fits that category. It’s not just Doncic’s ability to get boxing scores – he now has all six 40-point performances, 10 assists in franchise history, for example – and to create important moments that make him worth buying a ticket or the a little to turn on the TV for the clock. He is an animator with a rare flare for the moment, something that has in common with the NBA legends that Carlisle has followed closely.
“The basketball court is his scene,” Carlisle said of Doncic. “Guys like him – and I was around [Larry] Bird; I was around Reggie Miller – when there’s another guy on the other team who raises his game to Curry’s level, you feel an obligation if you’re such a player. I saw Bird do it; I saw Miller do it.
“You just dig deeper. You find a way to try to match the guy and try to match him with your team. And that’s exactly what he did.”
Doncic never allowed Curry to take complete control of the game. There were certainly stretches when Curry was unstoppable, but Doncic continued to respond. Case in point: the last 90 seconds of the second quarter, when Curry finished his 30-point half with a cutting board and a few long 3s, and Doncic pulled out a 3 sandwich of a pair of cute floats, giving the Mavs an eight-point lead at the break.
Doncic, one of the fewest descendants of the league, with high volume and long distances, shot like a Splash Brother on Saturday night. He was 7-of-12 in the 3-point range. And he improved as the stakes rose, hitting 3 of 5 3s in the fourth quarter, with the Mavs keeping the Warriors at bay, the largest giving Dallas a seven-point lead with 44.5 seconds left.
“Her eyes lit up a little,” Curry said. – He took some great photos tonight.
Of course, a seven-point lead is not safe with Curry in sizzle mode. Curry reduced the Mavs ’lead to four points just seconds later, tearing down a 3 from a feed from Draymond Green (a center point that had its second consecutive 15-assist performance and which also it is a pleasure to watch). Then, all of a sudden, it was a one-point game, after Curry danced and threw himself on the tape for a lay-and and 1 with 28.6 seconds left.
Imagine the pressure Mavs felt at the time, after losing 12 straight games in a single possession, the third longest in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
This series, it is worth noting, included only the games of the regular season. You probably remember that Doncic put the exclamation points on a playoff masterpiece, hitting a step back 3 to beat the overtime buzzer in Dallas’ 4th win over the LA Clippers last season. Doncic had a 43-point triple-double that night when he was questioned due to an ankle sprain suffered about 36 hours earlier; it was a performance that removed any doubt that the young man belonged in the discussion of the best in the league.
Returning to the weather on Saturday night, the Warriors decided they would not let Doncic seal this game by scoring, sending a double team to him 30 feet from the circle, while the shot clock ticked. Doncic reluctantly made way for Maxi Kleber on the pitch.
“It’s very polished,” Curry said, nodding to Doncic. “He’s shown this since the beginning of the year and he’s gotten better. And who knows how high the ceiling is for him?”
It will be fun to find out.