Mavs 'can't take Doncic for granted' as 10,000-point milestone falls on Christmas Day
Harry Carr
December 26, 2023 22:03 MYT
December 26, 2023 22:03 MYT
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the team can never take Luka Doncic for granted after he brought up 10,000 career points in their Christmas-Day win over the Phoenix Suns.
Doncic reached the milestone in style, scoring 50 points in a 128-114 road win as he became just the fourth player in league history to post a half-century of points on Christmas Day, after Bernard King, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry.
Having entered the game 11 points short of bringing up five figures, he has reached 10,000 points in just 358 games. Only Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and George Gervin have done so in fewer outings.
Doncic's big moment came early on when he hit a 34-foot three-pointer in the first quarter, and Kidd heaped praise upon his talisman after his dominant outing.
"As I've always said, we can't take him for granted when he's feeling it," Kidd said. "You're just trying to get him the ball as much as possible.
"You're also trying to figure out how to get him some rest because we weren't going to take him out there in the second half, so we needed to ask him or someone to be able to run the offense.
"I thought he did a great job of letting other guys bring the ball up, but when he's going like that, you've got to get him the ball, and you trust your quarterback's going to do the right thing."
Did someone order the Luka Special? #50@luka7doncic // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/0DZvhNDTBG — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 26, 2023
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Asked how it felt to reach the landmark, Doncic said: "Always, when this kind of award comes with a win, it's even more fun.
"It was a tough road game, and we won. So, outside of the 10K and 50 points, we won the game. So, I'm really happy.
"I love playing in these environments, especially away. It's fun for me. When you make a shot, the whole gym is quiet, so that's the best feeling in the world."
Doncic's mammoth performance proved Grayson Allen's 32-point haul for the Suns redundant, with Kevin Durant also tacking on 16 for the hosts.
Phoenix are now 14-15 and sit 11th in the Western Conference, having lost five of their last six games including each of their last three in a row.
Star guard Devin Booker said of the Suns' slump: "We just have to get it together.
"That's on me, that's on coach, that's on KD, all the leaders that we have in here to make sure that we're prepared."
Luka Claus brought a 50-piece to town #MFFL #NBAXmas pic.twitter.com/XHIi1KBAMu — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 26, 2023
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