Those of us who have been around longer than a Google search understand the NBA is an unforgiving world, a dog-eat-dog ecosystem.
Unless you’re blessed with oodles of diverse talent like Denver or Milwaukee, the hoop gods play no favorites.
One night, you make 25 of 33 shots and score 73 historic points in a clutch win at Atlanta. The next night you miss 17 of 26 shots and still post a triple-double that everybody else in the NBA would salivate over.
That’s what the last 48 hours have been like for Luka Dončić.
Taking a 120-115 loss at home to Sacramento on Saturday put a damper on everything for Dončić. But it was a stat-stuffing finish to an amazing stretch that Luka had, which no doubt won a lot of fantasy basketball players their matchup of the week.
And when it was done, coach Jason Kidd had a perfect analysis of what we all had witnessed in the span of two nights.
And what else needs to happen.
“He’s out there trying to do it by himself,” Kidd said. “That’s who he is. He loves to take on the world.
“When you look at what he’s done in the last 48 hours, he’s averaging a triple-double, averaging a million points. He’s doing everything we’re asking him to. We’ve just got to find him some help. We’ve got to be consistent with the help and also with our health.”
Dončić played 90 minutes, 52 seconds in the two games combined. That’s too much wear and tear for any athlete, regardless of how big their paycheck is.
The Mavericks are 25-21 after the loss to the Kings. They own none of the tiebreakers (at this point) against any of the teams they are close to in the Western Conference. They still have nine games left before the All-Star break, which will be a great respite for most of the Mavericks but will require Luka to fulfill the obligations in Indianapolis for the All-Star Game.
And, of course, Dončić had the best commentary on his whirlwind weekend that ended up with 101 points scored, 20 rebounds grabbed and 24 assists dished out.
“I can’t wait to go to sleep, honestly,” he said.
And here’s our other takeaways from the Kings’ win on Saturday.
What the health? The Mavericks need to get some of their heavy lifters back. Kyrie Irving has been out for three games with a sprained right thumb. Dante Exum has been in and out of the lineup with leg and foot issues. Derrick Jones Jr. missed Saturday with a left wrist problem. Dwight Powell has been sidelined by an eye abrasion. And, of course, Dončić has been fighting a right ankle that keeps getting twisted and turned just enough to annoy him, but not sideline him. The only good news about all this is that the calendar is about to turn to February, not April. “You never want to miss guys but the biggest thing is being healthy at the time when we need it,” Grant Williams said. “Right now, we got guys banged up and they take nights because it’s a long season. I’ve been on a team that was .500 at the trade deadline and then won 30 games to end the season. Once (we) get healthy, I’m excited to see what this team can do.” And for now, we have to assume it’s a “when” this team gets healthy, not “if.”
Strong numbers: Williams had by far his best statistical game since joining the Mavericks. Best scoring game ever, in fact. He had a career-best 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting. He hit seven of his 10 three-point heaves and had eight rebounds. “Physicality, being able to play-make, and then he gave us a spark,” Kidd said. “He shot the ball well from beyond the arc. He was really good.”
Wrong numbers: The Mavericks sent the Kings to the free-throw line 30 times (they made 23). The Mavericks took only 18 free throws (making 13). That’s six times in the last seven games they have been outshot at the line. They are 2-5 in that stretch.
X: @ESefko
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