Without Kyrie Irving, almost all of the responsibility to carry the Dallas Mavericks' offense falls on Luka Doncic's shoulders. But worry not, for on Christmas Day, Doncic received the perfect present in the form of a matchup against the Phoenix Suns — the team that he embarrassed in the 2022 NBA playoffs. Moreover, the Mavs star had the perfect opportunity to twist the knife even further into the Suns' guts amid Kevin Durant's reported frustrations with the team.

And that is exactly what Doncic did. The Slovenian star poured in a season-high 50 points, leading the way for the Mavs in a 128-114 win over the Suns. Once again, Doncic made Footprint Center his playground, as he objectively had his best game of the season (according to Game Score).

Nevertheless, Luka Doncic knows that even though a win against the Suns is a statement, especially when the Mavs are sending them tumbling down their own misery once more, it only counts as one in the win column.

“A win is a win,” the Mavs star said after the game, via ClutchPoints Twitter.

Perhaps Luka Doncic also meant that the Mavs, in whatever fashion they were able to eke out the victory, will take the win. After all, their 128-114 win didn't come without its fair share of troubles.

In the third quarter, Grayson Allen achieved flow state for the Suns; he simply could not miss, ending the night with a season-high 32 points, 19 of which came in that aforementioned period. Allen, amid rather lackluster efforts from both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant (who appears to be checked out), brought the Suns back from a sizeable lead, even taking the lead for stretches in the fourth quarter.

However, in the end, it was Luka Doncic who had the final say. The Mavs star commanded so much attention that it freed up his teammates over and over again, and the Mavs were able to pull away in the end — with Doncic nestling in a soft floater over Booker (who else) just so he could breach the 50-point barrier.

The Mavs will now have a day of rest before they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.