Is there anything Luka Doncic can’t do?
The Dallas Mavericks superstar, coming off a 36 point, 15 rebound and 18 assist effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder, went a long way to matching those numbers in the first half on Thursday.
Doncic was unstoppable as he inspired the Mavericks to a 74-51 halftime lead over the Utah Jazz, recording 31 points, six 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in just 21 minutes.
With it, Doncic recorded the first 25-point first-half triple double in NBA history while he also passed Larry Bird (59) for ninth place on the league’s all-time triple-doubles list.
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Doncic was only needed for another 11 minutes in the second half as the Mavericks eased to a big 147-97 win, with the Slovenian finishing on 40 points.
He was well-supported by running mate Kyrie Irving, who added 18 points, two rebounds and three assists of his own in the first half and finished with 26 points.
Meanwhile, the connection between Doncic and rookie Dereck Lively II continues to build.
Lively II had 10 points, one rebound, one assist, a steal and two blocks while shooting 5-for-6 from the field in the first half.
Australian Dante Exum also started for the first time this season against his former team Utah and had a few nice plays despite a scoreless opening half.
Exum dished out a behind-the-back dime to Derrick Jones Jr. for the dunk late in the second quarter to put the Mavericks up 60-43.
That assist though was set up by a steal from the instinctive Exum, whose energy on both ends of the floor made him a perfect connective piece in a Dallas team with plenty of scoring threats.
Exum finished the game with five points, six rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a team-high plus-minus of +40.
EMBIID’S 50-POINT STATEMENT GETS SIXERS HOME
The Philadelphia 76ers survived a scare in a 131-126 win over the lowly Washington Wizards on the back of a 50-point explosion from reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
Embiid, who missed the team’s last two games against New Orleans and Boston due to an illness, made up for lost time as he came up just short of a stunning 50-point triple-double.
The Sixers big man had 12 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and a block in the victory while shooting an efficient 19-for-28 from the field.
Tyrese Maxey had 26 points while Kelly Oubre Jr. returned for his first game since November 11, having been sidelined after suffering a broken rib when he was struck by a car.
Oubre Jr., who was averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds a game before the injury, had a handy 12 points and three rebounds off the bench in the win.
Elsewhere, the Wizards — who have won just three games this season — were already up against it heading into Thursday’s game with Landry Shamet, Delon Wright, Johnny Davis and Ryan Rollins sidelined.
Washington though fought hard and even led 62-60 at the half, with Jordan Poole (23 points) leading the way while rookie Bilal Couliably (14 points, three assists, three steals) continues to impress off the bench.
In the end though the Wizards had no answer for Embiid, who made his presence felt early as he scored 15 of the Sixers’ first 25 points.
That early scoring surge from Embiid was particularly important given Philadelphia’s 3-point shooting struggles, with the Sixers beginning the game 0-for-13 from downtown.
AUSSIE DUO IMPRESS AS STEPH COMES UP CLUTCH LATE IN WARRIORS WIN
A Steph Curry explosion in the third and Jonathan Kuminga statement in the fourth quarter saw the Golden State Warriors overcome the plucky Portland Trail Blazers 110-106.
The Trail Blazers capitalised on a rough shooting start from some of Golden State’s more reliable contributors, pushing out to a 55-48 lead after halftime.
Curry, for instance, was 1-for-6 from the field. It wasn’t just Curry, with Draymond Green shooting 1-for-4 while Klay Thompson was 0-for-5 and Andrew Wiggins made two of his seven field goal attempts.
Instead, it was Moses Moody continuing to prove he deserves more consistent minutes in the rotation after an efficient nine points to go with three rebounds, a block and a steal off the bench.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr controversially pulled Moody in the final four-and-a-half minutes of the team’s loss to Sacramento last week, something which he later admitted to being a mistake.
And on Thursday Moody was again a shining light in a tough first half for the Warriors, who turned the ball over 10 times and shot 2-for-16 from deep in the first half.
Portland, on the other hand, made nine 3-pointers with Afernee Simons (11 points, 3-5 3PT) and Shannon Sharpe (14 points, 2-4 3PT) leading the way.
Australian Matisse Thybulle, meanwhile, had a pair of 3-pointers off the bench by halftime while Duop Reath impressed in his second start for Portland, scoring 10 points to go with four rebounds and a steal.
Reath, who is on a two-way contract, was starting in place of the injured DeAndre Ayton (knee).
Of course, a player of Curry’s caliber and class isn’t going to be quiet for long.
So, when the Warriors needed him most Curry answered the call, catching fire in the third quarter to score 17 of Golden State’s 33 points in the period.
Jonathan Kuminga then came up big in the final quarter for the Warriors, making hustle plays all over the floor to score a crucial nine points to go with a steal, assist and rebound.
It proved enough as the Warriors held on for a tight win.
CLIPPERS MAKE STATEMENT AGAINST DEFENDING CHAMPS
The new-look Los Angeles Clippers are still a work in progress but Thursday’s 111-102 win over the reigning champion Denver Nuggets was just one glimpse into what this Western Conference contender can look like at their best.
The Clippers, who have now won 7 of their last 10 games, are starting to build much-needed chemistry following the blockbuster trade for James Harden, who had 20 points and 11 assists in the win.
Nikola Jokic, meanwhile, was uncharacteristically inefficient in the loss as he went just 9-for-32 from the field to finish with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Nuggets made a fast start, lighting it up from downtown as Denver made eight 3-pointers in the first quarter alone to open up a 36-21 lead.
From that point though the Nuggets suddenly went cold, making just two 3-pointers for the next two quarters as the Clippers
Los Angeles outscored Denver 40-21 in the second quarter as Jokic went through a shooting slump of his own, missing his first five field goals before eventually making a hook shot to stop an 11-0 Clippers run.
Daniel Theis, who the Clippers signed after he cleared waivers in November, continues to prove a shrewd addition and did well to both limit Jokic’s effectiveness while knocking down shots of his own.
Harden, meanwhile, was everywhere in the key moments for the Clippers in the fourth quarter as was the case for Kawhi Leonard as Los Angeles finished on top.
MIAMI ROOKIE CONTINUES STUNNING RISE
Elsewhere, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. didn’t enter his rookie season with anywhere near the same amount of hype as Victor Wembanyama, he continues to put his name out there in ROTY conversations.
Jaquez Jr., who was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November, has since moved up NBA.com’s ROTY ladder to fourth position behind Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and the current leader Chet Holmgren.
While it looks unlikely that Jaquez Jr. could usurp Wembanyama or Holmgren for ROTY honours without an injury, he has already emerged as a key piece of Miami’s rotation — something which was particularly important given the role players the Heat lost this season.
Jaquez Jr. had 15 points in Miami’s 112-103 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, marking the eighth-straight game that he has scored in double figures.
The 22-year-old out of UCLA is averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season, shooting 39.3 per cent from deep and 52.5 per cent from the floor.
Of course, the Heat got production from the usual suspects on Thursday too although Jimmy Butler (19 points, eight assists) actually was Miami’s third highest scorer of the game.
Instead, Caleb Martin (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Duncan Robinson (21 points, six rebounds, seven assists) had seven 3-pointers between them to lead Miami to victory.
Pascal Siakam made all 11 free throws on the way to 30 points for Toronto while O.G. Anunoby drained five 3-pointers, finishing with 23 points in the loss.
ROCKETS TOO STRONG FOR GIDDEY, THUNDER
In other news, the Houston Rockets made a statement in a clash of two Western Conference teams on the rise, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-101.
The Thunder, who entered Thursday’s game as the NBA’s best 3-point shooting team by percentage (40.2), found little success from downtown.
In fact, Josh Giddey — whose 3-point shooting has been his biggest weakness so far this season — was the only OKC player to have made any 3-pointers by halftime.
That was a product of a clever gameplan from Houston which involved keeping centre Alperen Sengun on Giddey and giving the Australian anything he wanted from deep.
Giddey made a pair of 3-pointers early but otherwise it limited the Thunder offence, with Sengun’s presence clogging the paint and taking away from valuable driving lanes.
Houston took a 55-50 lead into halftime, although it could have been more had it not been for six quick points in the final minute of the game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Rockets opened the third quarter on a 8-0 run to take a 13-point lead before OKC hit back with a 9-0 run of their own, although in the end Houston proved too strong.
Aaron Holiday made six 3-pointers to finish with 22 points off the bench while Dillon Brooks had 23 points for the Rockets.
Jabari Smith Jr. was a force on the glass with 14 defensive rebounds and 18 overall while Sengun, along with clamping down Giddey, added 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points for the Thunder while Giddey finished on eight points, four rebounds and six assists.
OTHER NBA SCORES
Orlando Magic 111 defeated by Cleveland Cavaliers 121
Memphis Grizzlies 116 defeat Detroit Pistons 102
Brooklyn Nets 114 defeat Atlanta Hawks 113
San Antonio Spurs 94 defeated by Minnesota Timberwolves 102
Charlotte Hornets 100 defeated by Chicago Bulls 111
