DALLAS – Sometimes it doesn’t matter who defends Luka Doncic. Case in point – or 42 points, in fact – Paul George, the LA Clippers superstar whose name always comes up in conversations about the main obstacles in the NBA’s perimeter. Doncic made the All-Defensive team four times look stupid on several occasions during his masterful performance in the 105-89 Dallas Mavericks win on Wednesday.
Doncic, who finished with 42 points from 16 of 28 shots and nine assists, did not do all the damage against George. Kawhi Leonard was also unlucky with him. Nor Nicolas Batum. Or anyone else that the Clippers played on the 22-year-old All-Star. And it was not for lack of effort.
“For the most part, defensively, I thought we did a good job, even though Luka set us on fire,” said Clippers coach Ty Lue.
George took the worst. According to Second Synergy data, half of Doncic’s points came when he was played with George on the half court. Doncic had 21 points from 15 shots – 70% of the effective percentage of the field goal – and conceded five assists without caps when defended by George.
“I thought we played very well in defense,” said George, “but they hit some very, very difficult shots and made some very, very big shots.”
The piece that produced the most sighs was probably Doncic’s failure. If Doncic took that particular step back, it would have been a viral highlight in seconds, as he hit the brakes and crossed so suddenly that George tripped over the wood, putting both hands up to cushion the fall when Doncic released the plug.
It was not as unpleasant as James Harden’s crossover and backward jump a few years ago that caused ex-Clippers striker Wes Johnson to involuntarily sit in the middle of the court. But that was against Paul George, not some newsboy.
Doncic’s last bucket, a floating dagger with 1:27 left, came after another movement that made George’s hand fall to the ground to keep him from falling. It was a cross from the back on the right wing, where George stayed after recovering his balance, having a beautiful view of Doncic finishing on the track.
“I’m not going to say anything about Paul George, who may have slipped on the floor or something, but Luka is a great player,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, emphasizing the respect he had for George and the Clippers. “He has the ability to make these quick plays that are really exceptionally special.”
There are not many answers for Doncic when he is effectively shooting from a 3 point range, which he has been doing regularly recently. Doncic hit 43% of the bottom in his last 14 games – and 50.5% of the ground overall – with an average of 30.5 points and 9.2 assists in that period. Not coincidentally, the Mavs (21-18) won 11 of 14 games, returning to the Western Conference playoff after dropping five games below 0.500.
It is no secret that Doncic wants to take a step backwards to the left, especially from the left wing. The Clippers (26-16) know this better than anyone, considering it is the opportunity for Doncic’s unforgettable overtime to score a 43-point triple-double in a bubble playoff victory over them.
However, Doncic was still 6 out of 11 in the 3-point range on Wednesday, including a four-point play when he paused after stepping back, leaned over and attracted Leonard’s contact when he fired.
“Sometimes we let him go too far and he was comfortable,” said Leonard. “He got hot and shot, and it’s hard to turn off the water after a big player like that starts playing.”
Ohm Youngmisuk from ESPN contributed to this report.