Few NBA players have ever had a stretch like Luka Dončić has seen in his past five games.
The Dallas Mavericks‘ superstar erupted yet against Saturday night, scoring 51 points in a 126-125 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
That means that in the past five games, starting Dec. 23, the 6-7 guard has scored 50, 32, 60, 35 and now 51. That’s 45.6 points per game during that span.
Dončić set a career-high with that 60-point outburst against the New York Knicks, He entered that Dec. 23 game with one career 50-point game, and now has four.
Luka is finishing 2022 on a good note. For the third time in five games, he's reached 50 points.pic.twitter.com/9EjZvVHewi
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 1, 2023
Dončić’s scorefest Saturday came despite a promise by Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich that the team would hold him below 50 points.
“50 is going to be our goal,” Popovich said (via Hoops Hype). “We’re holding Luka under 50. Quote.”
Dončić shot 18-of-29 from the field, and added nine assists, four steals and six rebounds, including the final rebound to clinch the game after he intentionally missed a free throw.
Luka finishes with 51 and the Mavs needed them all. He had a chance at 53. But after missing the first free throw, he intentionally missed the second and got his own rebound as time expired. pic.twitter.com/MrOwNHgCQ5
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 1, 2023
You might think NBA fans would be tired of tweeting about Dončić’s heroics. They’re not, as they showed Saturday night.
“It took a while for books to adjust but Luka Dončić is now the betting favorite to win MVP,” tweeted Greg Ehrenberg of Stokastic.com.
One fan tweeted a meme of a man standing atop a rock outcropping, looking to a distant rock face: “The talent gap between Luka Dončić and the entire San Antonio Spurs.”
“Pop jokingly promised that the Spurs would hold Mavs superstar Luka Dončić under 50 points tonight. I think what he meant was they will hold Luka under 50 points in the first half,” tweeted Raul Dominguez Jr.
“Gotta feel bad for Luka Dončić,” tweeted J. Wilder Adams. “Dude is consistently dropping nearly 50, and every point matters against mediocre and worse teams. That’s a problem.”
“He’s the NBA’s Next Goat,” tweeted Geezy.
It took a while for books to adjust but Luka Doncic is now the betting favorite to win MVP pic.twitter.com/kXUgKqwi4M
— Greg Ehrenberg (@gehrenbergdfs) January 1, 2023
The talent gap between Luka Doncic & the entire San Antonio Spurs: pic.twitter.com/d7iY2554oo
— Panda Hank (@pandahank41) January 1, 2023
Pop jokingly promised that the Spurs would hold Mavs superstar Luka Doncic under 50 points tonight. I think what he meant was they will hold Luka under 50 points in the first half. Luka with 22 in the first quarter, scoring all but 10 of the Mavs points. He also had one assist.
— Raul Dominguez Jr. (@DominguezCinco) January 1, 2023
Gotta feel bad for Luka Doncic. Dude is consistently dropping nearly 50, and every point matters against mediocre and worse teams. That’s a problem.
— Wilder Adams (@whatsontapnba) January 1, 2023
He’s the NBA’s Next Goat💯🐐
— 𝐆𝐄𝐄𝐙𝐘✎ツ (@YoungPiccasso) January 1, 2023
