It was an entertaining encounter between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, with the Mavs edging out the Blazers, 133-125. This Dallas victory was thanks in large part to yet another outstanding performance from Mavs star Luka Doncic, who logged 27 points on 11-of-25 shooting, along with two 3-pointers, six rebounds, nine assists, and two steals in 35 minutes of play. The second-year man was so impressive that even Portland big man Jusuf Nurkic decided to have a quick photo op with Doncic after the game.
Nurkic stopping by Mavs locker room to say hello to Doncic.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 24, 2020
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 24, 2020
Such is the popularity of Luka Doncic that even opposing players go out of their way to chat with the reigning Rookie of the Year. Right now, the 20-year-old is averaging 29.1 points (on 46.6 percent shooting), 9.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 1.1 steals, while also knocking down 3.0 3-pointers per ballgame on a 32.2-percent clip. Most experts have him as an early-season contender for this year's MVP race.
As for Nurkic, the Bosnian national is still recovering from a leg fracture he suffered last season and has yet to figure for the Blazers this term. Recent reports have stated that the 25-year-old's road to recovery has been going as well as expected, but even so, he isn't expected to take the floor anytime soon.
Nonetheless, Nurkic is still expected to make his comeback at some point, and while he will certainly be brought along slowly once he returns, he should be able to provide a boost for the team late in the regular season.
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