Though he's a rookie, Mavs forward Luka Doncic has already made a name for himself in the NBA. At 19, he's one of the younger players in the league, but his latest achievement is a testament to why he belongs.
Doncic logged 32 minutes in Sunday's 119-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors, scoring 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field (5-of-10 from beyond the arc), six rebounds, five assists and one steal.
It was his third straight game with at least 25 points and five assists, which is a new record for teenagers in the NBA, according to Justin Kubatko of StatMuse.
Luka Doncic is the first teenager in NBA history to record at least 25 points and five assists in three straight games. pic.twitter.com/CrobbKMe0N
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 14, 2019
Warriors All-Star Steph Curry, who posted 48 points in Sunday's game, had high praise for Luka during his post-game media availability.
“He's unbelievable,” Curry told ESPN. “You can tell he's just experienced in terms of playing high-level basketball. A guy that's always at his own pace. I'm sure he had heard all the doubters and people talking about his game who really didn't know much about him, and he's made himself known for sure. It's fun to watch in terms of the future of the league.”
Doncic may be a rookie, but he certainly isn't playing like one — a fact Warriors head coach Steve Kerr noted prior to Sunday's matchup.
“The guy doesn't look like a rookie,” Kerr told ESPN on Saturday. “I didn't know much about him, I never saw him play until we played Dallas the first time or watching him on TV before that, but he is confident beyond where you would expect somebody in his shoes to be, coming from a different country and being 19 years old. He's a brilliant player. I think he's already an All-Star. I don't know how the vote's going to shake out, but he looks like an All-Star player to me.
“You just don't see it very often,” Kerr added. “Very rarely. I'll bet we could go over the last decade and only find a handful of teenagers who have made this kind of impact in the league.”
Doncic and the Mavs (20-23 and 3rd in the Southwest Division standings) will look to get back into the win column on Tuesday night, when they'll welcome the San Antonio Spurs to town. Tip-off inside the American Airlines Center is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Follow Us
Subscribe