Luka Magic happened again
Luka Doncic wasn’t going to let his Dallas Mavericks lose to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. Doncic had already delivered Dallas an opening-night victory over the San Antonio Spurs to spoil Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut, and he was even more electric against Brooklyn.
The Mavs beat the Nets, 125-120, behind a crunch-time takeover for the ages from Doncic, capped by an impossible one-handed three-pointer just before the shot clock buzzer with 30 seconds left to clinch the win for Dallas.
With the Mavs trailing by five points with three minutes left, Doncic drained a nasty step-back jumper from the right wing. A minute later, he curled to the right wing, stared down his defender, and hit another three. Down two points with 90 seconds left, Doncic juked Mikal Bridges at the left wing and hit another step-back three. His final shot was the best one yet.
Watch all four of Doncic’s clutch three-pointers to give Dallas an improbable win.
LUKA MAGIC.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SAY.
4 straight threes… each getting progressively more difficult and more clutch… to reach 49 points and give Dallas the win.
Special stuff from a superstar. pic.twitter.com/4uCvy2Qdfe
— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2023
The final dagger was a perfect example of “Luka Magic.” Doncic is a true savant with the ball in his hands — a teenage prodigy who has grown to fulfill his potential as one of the most breathtaking basketball players in the world. Only somehow with special talent could hit this shot so casually.
“I work on that,” Doncic joked after the game, according to reporters. “I work off the backboard.”
Doncic said he called bank in Slovenian:
Finney-Smith said Doncic didn’t call bank on the key shot. Doncic disagreed.
“I said it in Slovenian, so he didn’t understand,” Doncic said.
The best angle came from the stands.
Doncic doesn’t have an MVP or NBA championship to his name yet, but both feel inevitable if he ever gets the right team around him. Doncic’s skill level is not normal. Still only 24 years old, we’re watching an all-time great come into his own before our eyes every time he takes the court.