Luka Doncic recently made his return to the hardwood, and it took him no time to control a game.
The Dallas Mavericks have now won four straight games and eight of their last nine games. They looked quite strong without Luka Doncic in the lineup. Naturally, there was some conversation regarding his impact to winning and if the team was better off without him.
On Sunday, he made a statement with his return performance. He was superb, scoring 36 points in 36 minutes, shooting 15-of-24 from the floor. He added seven rebounds and 13 assists, too.
It was certainly one of Doncic’s best games of the season and he was crucial to the team coming away with the 137-131 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Spencer Dinwiddie reveals “that look” Doncic gives that leaves him in awe
Another Mavericks player who had a great game on Sunday was Spencer Dinwiddie, who thrived in his 34 minutes off the bench. He scored 20 points while shooting 5-of-9 from the field, doing most of his work by knocking down each of his eight free throw attempts.
Doncic’s performance left Dinwiddie reflecting on a “different type of look” that the superstar has that leaves him in awe.
“It’s funny, his greatness doesn’t surprise me at all,” Dinwiddie claimed after the game. “What I’m more so thinking in those situations is just watching from the standpoint of reading his body language. You can kind of tell when [Luka] is like, ‘Alright, I hit couple but I’m kind of tired, like, somebody else do something, I want to get into this action, that action.’
“And you can tell when he’s got a different type of look where it’s like, ‘I hit a couple, and I’m about to run off like 15 more.’ And so when he has that look, we all spectating at that point. Cause nothing ain’t nobody on this planet gonna do.”
Dinwiddie isn’t the only person to have this realization, but he’s got an up-close look on the hardwood of Doncic and how he approaches the game when he “has that look.”
Given the narrative surrounding the Slovenian superstar earlier this season, a strong return from his injury is quite huge and bodes well for Dallas moving forward.
Doncic playing “with joy” could positively impact the Mavericks’ season
As mentioned, Doncic was stellar in his return from injury. What was behind his incredible performance? His joy for the game. He was quite adamant to explain just how happy he was to be back on the court after the big win.
“Just happy, man,” Doncic said postgame. “This is what I love to do. I was just happy to be out there playing with joy. Obviously happy that we got the win. Felt like they were getting every shot we got in the end. Just really happy to be back.”
Doncic playing with joy just opens his game up that much more. He plays more freely and much more open. His numbers seemingly rise when he’s playing carefree basketball, and it allows his teammates to play off him that much more.
If the Slovenian playing with joy is what is going to unlock this Dallas team, the club must do whatever it takes to keep Doncic happy and playing the same way.
