Luka Doncic was once again a pivotal part of the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
The team put the Utah Jazz away in a wildly entertaining 98-96 victory.
That secured the team its spot in the second round for the first time in 2011.
This is Doncic’s first time making it out of the opening round of the playoffs and he seems adamant about going hard in the upcoming games.
He certainly did that on Thursday night and was on the floor as much as possible.
42 minutes for Luka
The most since Feb. 2 https://t.co/QlX7WQvC1t
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 29, 2022
In the end, he played for 42 minutes which is his biggest total since February 2.
He made those 42 minutes count.
Dangerous Doncic
Doncic put up 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in Thursday’s victory, tying with his teammate Jalen Brunson for the most Mavs points.
That followed Game 5, when Doncic made 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Since returning from an injury in Game 4, Doncic has been playing like a man with a mission.
He’s also gradually been spending more and more time on the court, seemingly feeling healthy and fine and ready to push himself.
That’s good news for Dallas as they enter the second round against the intimidating Phoenix Suns.
The Mavericks have a lot of terrific players but they will definitely need Doncic with them in order to take the Suns down.
It’s safe to say that Dallas hasn’t faced a challenge like Phoenix in some time: they will force them to give everything they’ve got.
Doncic will have to be a huge presence in every game but he will also need to stay healthy and unharmed.
There is no way that the Mavericks can lose their star player now.
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