For Luka Doncic, Friday night was one for the books. The Slovenian superstar scored a career-high 73 points en route to a 148-143 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic's big game drew praise from personalities all over the league, and even Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd uttered a statement that encapsulates Doncic's dominance on the hardwood.

“Some say they are the system. He (Doncic) is the gameplan,” Kidd said, via Sports Illustrated's Grant Afseth.

Jason Kidd's Harden reference

James Harden beside a smiling Luka Doncic

Kidd's comment drew a number of reactions, some of which claimed that what Kidd said sheds a negative light on him as a coach due to overreliance on Doncic. In addition, the Mavs head coach may have also referenced another NBA superstar in his statement: James Harden.

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Back in November, Harden went viral when he made his famous “system” comments. Fresh off a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden claimed that he was not a system player, but rather, the system itself. Harden's declaration sparked a wave of reactions from fans, and now, it seems that Kidd's just taken a subtle jab at the former MVP.

Regardless, Doncic did look like a one-man game plan on Friday. Finishing with eight three-pointers, a 75.8 field goal percentage and sinking 15 of his 16 charity stripe attempts, the 24-year-old could not be stopped from putting the ball in the basket. In addition to his 73-point outburst, Doncic hauled down 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists.

Witnessing a player go for that amount of points must have been a sight to see. So Jason Kidd might have been on a postgame high while making those comments. Regardless of whether he did indeed take a shot at Harden or not, the latter half of his statement seemed to show in Luka Doncic's on-court play.

 

 

 

 

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