From one Dallas Mavericks goat to another – Dirk Nowitzki was greeted in his return to the American Airlines Center on Thursday with another impressive Luka Doncic display. Doncic led the way for the Mavs behind a huge home win against the Brooklyn Nets with a team-high of 24 points while knocking down five triples.

One of Doncic's first-half threes caught the eye of the former MVP. Doncic put on a dribbling display before pulling out his patented step-back three to leave Blake Griffin in the woods. Obviously, Nowitzki had no choice but to tip his hat to the young Mavericks superstar as the ball hit the bottom of the net (via Dallas Mavericks).

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Luka Doncic in front looking serious. Need the Mavericks and Clippers logos in background.

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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford in front looking serious. Mavericks' Daniel Gafford dunking a basketball in background.

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To say that the two-time All-Star was inspired by the presence of Dirk in the building was an understatement. Doncic showed up on Thursday in a crucial game against one of the East's top-seeded teams. The 22-year-old also added 10 boards and eight dimes alongside his 24 points to overcome Kevin Durant's game-high of 45 points.

More importantly, the win pushes the Mavs back to the fifth spot of the West overtaking the defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers with a 38-28 record. Though catching on to the fourth spot might be improbable, the Mavs can hang on to the fifth seed if they continue their impressive run with just a few regular season games to go.