As expected, the Dallas Mavericks took care of business against the Washington Wizards on Thursday night, extending their win streak to six games. Not only was this one of the first games that Dallas has been fully healthy minus Dante Exum and Naji Marshall, but the team had one of its most dominant victories after defeating the Wizards by 36 points.
While the Wizards have only won two games this season, the Mavericks saw plenty of positive progression from multiple role players.
In his return game, Daniel Gafford dominated on the glass and proved to Washington fans why it was a mistake to trade him last season. Gafford finished the night off with 16 points and seven rebounds in an impressive display of dominance in the paint.
In addition to Gafford and other role players proving their worth in this matchup, superstar Luka Doncic once again dazzled since returning from a wrist sprain.
Doncic's first triple-double of the year signals that he's ready to take over
Doncic recorded his first triple-double this season with a 21-point, 10 rebound, and 10-assist display of mastery on the floor. Doncic constantly split defenders with his incredible vision and found numerous open Mavs with his playmaking magic.
On multiple occasions, Doncic found Klay Thompson and Quentin Grimes for wide-open looks behind the arc. It became apparent that Washington's defense could not contain Doncic and his playmaking vision.
Offensively, Doncic may have struggled shooting the ball but he made up for it with his passing ability. Doncic not only created opportunities for other players to flourish from behind the arc but also set up Gafford and Dereck Lively II for multiple easy buckets down low.
Despite struggling from the field, Doncic's triple-double is a promising sign for fans that the six-time all-star is back and ready to help them win in other ways this season.
A common sight for Doncic throughout his seven-year career has been triple-doubles. In fact, during last night's win in Washington, Doncic tied Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh in NBA history for all-time regular season triple-doubles.
It may have taken Doncic 23 games to record his first triple-double of the season, but it could be the first of many after dominating in his last three performances.
While last night's win wasn't surprising, Doncic took full advantage of a struggling Wizards squad to fully get his season back on track. In Dallas' two games before last night, Doncic finished with 36 and 37 points in both of those wins.
It's no secret that Doncic has struggled to begin this season, but over the last three games, Doncic has proven to fans that he is ready to compete on both ends of the floor. Last night's triple-double is just the start of what could be an all-time great Doncic run.
It will be important that Doncic continue to impact the game in other ways even when his shooting is below average. Doncic's defense and playmaking are some ways he can affect the game without scoring the ball in bunches.
