Apart from tying the Houston Rockets for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference at 13-6, the Dallas Mavericks have also recently put an end to the Los Angeles Lakers' 10-game winning streak with a convincing 114-100 win on Sunday.
Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki was in attendance at Staples Center as Luka Doncic and the rest of the young squad put up a dazzling performance that certainly put the rest of the league on notice.
The German star had nothing but praises for the current squad under coach Rick Carlisle, sharing his excitement for the up-and-coming team in a report from Dwain Price of Mavs.com.
“It’s been a fun year,” Nowitzki said. “Luka is playing out of this world. Everybody else is defending, shooting, rebounding, and I still think they have room to improve.
“Obviously, (Kristaps Porzingis) is slowly finding his rhythm, so I’m really liking what I‘m seeing. They’re quick, they’re long, they’re good defensively when they want to be, and they’ve got playmakers and shot-makers, and what I like off the bench I feel like it’s a very deep team.”
Nowitzki managed to see Doncic up close and personal in his rookie year last season, as the pair developed a playful student-mentor relationship in Dirk's final year. Doncic has since been dubbed as the Mavs' next great European player, as he has already inserted himself in the MVP conversation in just his sophomore season.
The Slovenian guard has been dropping triple-doubles left and right this season, averaging 30.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 9.6 assists.
Porzingis meanwhile, possesses the same skill set as Nowitzki and is slowly regaining his old form after fully recovering from an ACL tear last year. He has been Doncic's second-in-command in Dallas this season, notching 17.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.
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