Apparently, that extra work Dallas Mavericks’ point guard Luka Doncic put in following Wednesday’s 19-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets was well worth it.

Doncic was a 0-of-5 from 3-point range against the Hornets, the same as he was from downtown last Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. In fact, after Doncic misfired on his first two 3-pointers against the Miami Heat on Friday night at American Airlines Center, he was a miserable 2-of-23 from behind the 3-point line this season.

So, when Doncic finally got a 3-pointer to fall in the second quarter of the 93-83 victory over Miami, he raised his hands in triumph and looked to the heavens and smiled while jogging back down the court.

“I was so happy,” Doncic said. “I’ve been shooting them a lot, so I was so happy when I made that three. It made my day.”

After the disappointing loss to the Hornets, Doncic rushed back onto the court for a shooting session that lasted approximately 30 minutes. It was his way of letting everyone know that he wasn’t satisfied with his performance and he was quickly searching for ways to make amends.

Overall, Doncic was 9-of-22 from the field against the Heat. He also was 3-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“It’s great that he hit a couple for sure,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Luka’s going to get there. He’s busting his tail, he’s working hard. You saw him working out after the game the other night.

“Everything for him right now is trending in a good direction condition-wise, which is great.”

To assist Doncic with his conditioning, Carlisle said: “I’m playing him in some longer stretches through these first and third quarters right now to help him get his legs under him – that he’s got to push through right now. And he did tonight.”

Doncic, who finished the night with 27 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, insists he doesn’t mind playing longer stretches of a game.

“I can play whatever coach wants me,” Doncic said. “If he wants me to play 48 (minutes), I’ll play 48.”

Doncic played the entire 12 minutes of the first quarter against the Heat, 5:17 of the second quarter, the entire 12 minutes of the third quarter and 6:32 of the fourth quarter.

“He was tired at the end of the first (quarter) and at the end of the third (quarter), because he was going hard,” Carlisle said. “But it’s going to help him get his ultimate game legs sooner than later.”

Doncic’s teammates know he’ll eventually come around and consistently flash that talent that has made him one of the leading candidates to capture this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player award.

“You guys saw it,” forward Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “Right after the game against Charlotte the star player is out there leading my example getting shots up.

“You know he wants it. He puts in the work and it showed tonight.”

What Doncic also knows is that fans and media types expect exponentially more from him than they do from the average player. But the third-year veteran who now has tied Dirk Nowitzki for the most games — 38 — leading the Mavs in points, rebounds and assists in the same game in franchise history, wouldn’t have it any other way.

“A lot of people expect a lot from me, but that’s one way is good and one way is bad,” Doncic said. “You have a lot of pressure, but on the other hand people know I can do it, so it goes both ways.”

Carlisle praises Hammon: History was made Wednesday when Becky Hammon became the first woman to serve as a head coach in an NBA game, and the moment wasn’t lost on anyone associated with sports.

After San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected in the second quarter of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Popovich turned to Hammon – one of his assistant coaches – and indicated that she would be the one replacing him to coach the Spurs the remainder of the game. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle called it a “tremendous” honor.

“My hat’s off to Pop for facilitating that opportunity,” Carlisle said. “It’s a wonderful historic moment. I messaged (Hammon) yesterday congratulating her on it.

“I let her know that I have a 16-year old daughter that doesn’t have much interest at all in basketball or coaching, but it’s a very significant moment for her and so many other young girls. I’m really proud of her. We have Jenny Boucek here, who’s another great female coach who really helps us a lot on our staff.”

Mavs-Heat comparisons: From Miami Heat owner Micky Arison to Heat president Pat Riley to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle discussed the similarities between the Mavs and the Heat.

“Just a first-class organization,” Carlisle said. “Pat Riley has become a friend over the years. Mr. Arison is a great friend to the coaches. He was the chairman of the board of governors back in 2007 when we were finally able to get a long-awaited and much needed pension increase — and it had been well over 10 years. Mickey was the one that carried the flag for that and helped us do it.

“It was during a period where financial times weren’t great, but it was something that was very much needed for our coaches. And I just have great respect for Erik. I served on the competition committee with (Heat chief executive officer) Nick Arison for three years. They care about the game and they do things the right way.”

By the way, the Heat defeated the Mavs in six games in the 2006 NBA Finals, and the Mavs returned the favor and defeated the Heat in six games in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Twitter: @DwainPrice

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