'I don't know how I played' – Doncic battles the pain to help Mavs topple Lakers
Patric Ridge
December 13, 2023 18:12 MYT
December 13, 2023 18:12 MYT
Luka Doncic said "everything hurts" after he battled through the pain to propel the Dallas Mavericks to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Doncic finished with 33 points and 17 assists as the Mavericks defeated LeBron James' Lakers – fresh from their in-season tournament victory last weekend – 127-125.
It marked the second win in as many nights for Dallas, though talisman Doncic had been listed as questionable following Monday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
"I don't know how I played," Doncic said.
"I slept very little today. Everything hurts. I'm getting old, man, but we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing, especially against a team like the Lakers.
"So I'm really proud of these guys."
Speaking to TNT Sports, Doncic added: "You give your best, you want to stay on the court.
"This is an amazing team win, man. Back-to-back, we've got so many guys out, but everybody stepped up, everybody played hard."
Game recognize game #MFFL pic.twitter.com/r1JrqUdvd6 — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 13, 2023
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Doncic also shared a moment with James, who also had 33 points, at the end of the game.
"It's amazing, the way he talks with me," Doncic said. "One of the best, it's a great relationship. I'm glad, coming from Slovenia, that I can play games like this against LeBron. It's special."
The Mavs needed Doncic to step up, with Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber, Josh Green and Derrick Jones Jr all out injured.
"Anytime you play a guy like Luka that's so talented, so good passing the ball, but obviously scores it as well, it makes it tough," Lakers guard Austin Reaves said.
"That's the challenge when you have a guy like that on the other team that you're trying to slow down."