On March 8, Beijing time, in an NBA regular season game that ended earlier today, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 111-103 at home.
In this game, lone ranger star Luka Doncic performed well, playing for 37 minutes. Shooting 12-of-23 from the field, he made 5-of-11 three-pointers and cut a full stat of 35 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, including 16 rebounds that set a new season high for him.
I have to say that Doncic's sense of rhythm in the game is too good, when facing a small defender, he can use his physical advantage to attack, and in the face of a large player, he can use his footsteps and rhythm to create shooting space. Although he is only 23 years old, he seems to have been in the alliance for many years.
In his 35.6 minutes per game this season, he can contribute 28.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.2 steals, shooting 45.1% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range. Doncic's outstanding individual performance has also made him a popular candidate for the regular season MVP this season.
Under his leadership, the Lone Ranger is currently fifth in the West with 40 wins and 25 losses, just 0.5 wins from the Jazz, who are fourth in the West. With their current competitive form, it is likely to surpass the Jazz to enter the top four of the West and thus gain home advantage in the playoffs.
On the Jazz side, the team lost today's key strong dialogue, and the fourth place in the West is in jeopardy. The team's star, Donovan Mitchell, performed badly. He played 35 minutes, shooting just 5-of-19 and 2-of-9 from three-point range, with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 turnovers.
As the core of the team, it is normal for Mitchell to be taken seriously by his opponents, and he has shot less than 30% of the shots in previous games. But he had to figure out how to solve the strict defense of him on the other side, and he couldn't be abnormal as soon as he was targeted. Otherwise, in the more defensive playoffs, the team wouldn't have as much time for him to make adjustments.
Meanwhile, the Jazz's other main guard, Mike Conley, also had a bad performance today. He played 26 minutes, shooting just 1-of-7 from the field, and had 3 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Conley has been in a slump lately, having lost to the Pelicans 90-124. It was only 1 of 8 shots, including 0 of 4 three-pointers, and 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 3 turnovers.
Conley is one of the team's main defenders and his performance is crucial for the team. If he doesn't get back to shooting early, the team's offense will be greatly affected. In an interview with the media after today's game, he talked about his recent status. He said he would love to show his influence on the field through hard work, but it was clear that he had played very badly in the last few games.
In fact, Conley also wants to play a good performance to help the team, but he is not young, coupled with injuries large and small, so the state of the game often rises and falls.
Jazz and Mavericks, a fourth in the West and a fifth in the West, the two teams may meet in this year's playoffs, when Doncic and Mitchell, the two young star guards, will face off, and I believe it will be a wonderful series.