Luka Doncic has ascended to such greatness that the 35-point triple-double he put up in Thursday’s 129-114 triumph over
the Houston Rockets seemed almost pedestrian.
That triple-double – which also included 12 rebounds and 13 assists – pales in comparison to the historic 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist gem Doncic produced during Tuesday’s overtime victory against the New York Knicks. And it helped the Mavs notch their fifth straight win, their longest streak this season.
So how have the Mavs been so tied together on a string during this winning streak?
“We’ve been trusting each other,” center Dwight Powell said. “There’s obviously been ups and downs. Clearly there have been some games that some people counted us out during the game, but we stuck together.
“That’s one of the biggest things for us is trusting one another and staying together regardless of the situation, and having that next man up mentality.”
Center Christian Wood said the Mavs simply have been playing very well in recent games on both ends of the floor.
“If you look at the last game (against the Knicks) we stayed together even though everybody probably thought we were going to lose,” Wood said. “(Thursday) we stayed together, everybody was moving the ball and even the games before that we were piggy-backing off each other, playing off each other and it’s really working out.
“Also, Luka’s playing like an MVP.”
Here are the takeaways from the 15-point win over the Rockets.
DONCIC SUPPLIED MORE MAGIC: Since the 1997-98, there have been seven games where NBA players have had a 30-point triple-double after the third quarter. Five of those have been recorded by Luka Doncic, including Thursday when he collected 32 points, 12 rebounds and three assists through three quarters. Doncic has 95 points, 34 rebounds and 23 assists during the last two games. That 152 total are the third-most total amount of points, rebounds and assists in consecutive triple-doubles, surpassed only by the cumulative total of 167 and 159 points, rebounds and assists collected by Oscar Robertson.
WOOD NAILING DOWN HIS DEFENSE: Throughout his career, Christian Wood has been known as an offensive juggernaut. But lately, he has garnered a reputation as a shot-blocking specialist. While battling through foul difficulties on Thursday, Wood still managed to score 21 points in 21 minutes and block a season-high tying four shots against the Rockets. That came two days after he came up with a key block on a three-point attempt by Miles McBride with the Mavs ahead of the New York Knicks, 118-116, with 2:04 remaining in overtime. Wood also had four blocks during the Dec. 23 game against Houston.
POWELL WAS PERFECT: Dwight Powell was almost flawless Thursday night against the Rockets. Playing only 21 minutes off the bench, the nine-year veteran scored a season-high 19 points and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field. In all, Powell recorded four dunks, a layup, a tip-in and two other shots near the rim. As a whole, he stayed in his lane and did what he does best. In addition to his efficiency on the offensive end of the court, Powell also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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