For three weeks, Mavericks’ guard Luka Dončić has played like he’s king of the NBA, averaging a triple-double since mid-January.
So on Sunday, he was perfectly fine with stepping aside to allow a couple members of the league’s royal family take the stage.
Dončić had a front-row vantage point for a record-smashing shooting night by Steph Curry, who won the first Kobe Bryant KIA MVP Trophy with 50 points on 16-of-27 3-point shooting. He blew away the previous 3-point record of nine.
“Amazing performance,” Luka said of Curry’s show. “He’s the greatest shooter ever, so it wasn’t a surprise to me.”
And, Luka also was OK bowing to the other king, LeBron James, who hit the game-winning shot that gave Team LeBron a 163-160 victory over Team Durant in All-Star Game, 2022.
Both James and Curry were celebrated throughout the weekend as new members of the NBA’s greatest-75 players as part of the league’s 75th anniversary.
It was their turn to shine.
That said, Luka’s time wasn’t exactly wasted. He played 25 minutes in the game, he had eight points, three assists and a rebound.
Dončić was the last member of Team LeBron to enter the game, coming off the bench with 1:30 left in the first quarter.
But his timing could not have been better.
His back-to-back 3-pointers moments after he entered helped the LeBrons to a 47-45 lead after the first quarter, which was good for $100,000 for their charity of choice: the Kent State University I Promise scholarship program.
There were other highlights that had nothing to do with the game. Dončić spent some time rubbing elbows with Michael Jordan, to which he said: “M.J. knows my name. That was just unbelievable. No words for that.”
And just being in the building to celebrate the 75th anniversary team made the weekend special for Dončić. He stood alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, both of whom were on the historic team.
“In Dallas, obviously, Dirk is the one that represents Dallas. But it’s great to be here, great to have those two guys with me,” Luka said. “Just unbelievable to see (all the talent). I enjoyed being here with the 75 players. Very special.”
Dončić made it clear that he wasn’t looking to steal any spotlights during this year’s rendition of the game.
On Saturday, leading up to the game in Cleveland, the Mavericks’ point guard said matter of factly: “It (this game) is more for the people that can really dunk. People don’t come here to watch me.”
Then he said he’d be quite content to dish out alley-oop passes for the dunkers.
That may be true, but it wasn’t long until Curry proved that the shot of choice in All-Star Games can be the 3-pointer instead of the dunk. He had a dozen of his 3-pointers in the second and third quarters.
So Luka gladly deferred to Curry.
And to James, who grew up in nearby Akron, and played two stints with the Cavaliers and still is treated with hometown respect and love in Ohio. That he hit the game-winner was a perfect ending to a night that featured lots of showboating, virtually no defense until the end and yet still produced a pulse-pounding finish.
Now, it will be Dončić’s goal to try to enjoy what’s left of the All-Star break. He will have a few days free of obligations before he rejoins the Mavericks for a practice or two in advance of the resumption of games Friday at Utah.
“I’m going away for a little bit,” Dončić said, “so you guys won’t see me for the next few days.”
When he returns, he will try to pick up where he left off, which was averaging 33.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the 11 games before the All-Star break.
It was no coincidence that the Mavericks went 8-3 in those games, a pace they would gladly take over the last 23 games when the season restarts on Friday.
Twitter: @ESefko
Share and comment